Rogue Rovers Episode 4: Cyber Love
by Rogue Rover
Summary: J is desperately looking for a date. He finds one on an online dating site, but his new girlfriend is hiding something. Parvo wants to build a new canomutator, but he needs the resources to complete it.
1. You Got Match

Rogue Rovers Episode 4: Cyber Love

A/N: I don't own Road Rovers; they're property of Warner Bros. Chris belongs to Chris Markham. Dylan, Briggs, and Riley belong to Dylan Rinald. J, Ice Blaze, Melanie, Ayame, Grudge, Takato, and Khalil belong to me. True to Your Heart is by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder. My Boo is by Usher featuring Alicia Keys, but there are some changes in the lyrics to fit the situation in the story. Superstar is by Ruben Studdard. Xbox 360 is owned by Microsoft. Feel free to make comments or suggestions.

Chapter 1: You Got Match

It was a scorching May day in Socorro, New Mexico. Outside of the city's limits was a large hole where a laboratory used to sit. Within the hole, a rainforest paradise resided, with numerous trees surrounding the cavern walls and a waterfall sitting along one of the walls. Sitting in the center of the cavern was a large complex of fire hydrant shaped buildings. Within the walls of one of the buildings was a hallway with numerous doors on either side of the long hallway.

On the other side of one of the doors was a large urban themed bedroom. Three out of the four walls had a brick wall paint scheme, resembling a side of a building. The left wall from the entrance of the room was blank. Next to the blank wall was a home theater system that was embedded in the wall. There are three sets of surround sound systems in the room: one near the ceiling, one halfway down the wall, and one more near the floor. Four computer projectors that point toward the blank wall, creating a video wall, are located in the ceiling and are hidden. The floor close to the video wall is lowered. A coffee table sat in front of the video wall, and a curved couch sat behind the coffee table. A king size bed sat across from the door. A nightstand sat next to the bed on the right, and a desk that is sitting a few feet from the bed sat on the left side of the bed. A door that leads to the bathroom sat along the right wall. A keyboard, turntables, and a saxophone are located in the lower right hand corner of the room. A dresser is located in the upper right hand corner of the room. Next to the dresser is a walk-in closet.

Sitting on the couch, with a wireless keyboard on his lap, was a male teenaged shiba inu canosapien. He wore a red South Pole t-shirt, baggy jeans, and a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. The teen stared at the video wall, which displaying an online dating website. At the moment, he was creating a profile. While he was making his profile, a knock came from his bedroom door.

"It's open," the teen called from his seat, while still focusing on the video wall.

The door to the room opened, and a male teenaged white tiger felospaien stepped in. The white tiger wore a black basketball jersey with the number two on it, a t-shirt with the sleeves torn off underneath, baggy jeans with some holes in it, and tan work boots. He walked over to the couch where the canospaien sat. He stopped and looked down at the canosapien before looking up at the video wall.

"Hey J, wha're you doin'?" the white tiger asked, looking at the wall.

"I'm creatin' a profile on this online datin' site," J replied as he continued to type on the keyboard. "Wha' do you think of it?"

The white tiger walked around the couch and sat down next to J. He started to read J's profile. He leaned back and placed his right hand on his chin, while he read it. After he got through reading it, he nodded his head.

"It looks good," the white tiger said. "Does sis know 'bout this?"

"I haven't told her yet, Blaze," J said. "I'll tell her soon though." He then clicked on the submit button with the wireless mouse. A moment later, another profile popped up.

"It seems like it already found a match for you bro," Ice Blaze said.

"It says her name is Ayame Shiwatori," J said, looking at her profile.

"Must be Japanese."

"You think?" J asked sarcastically. He continued to look at her profile until he stopped. "Found it."

"Found wha'?"

J dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, and then he answered, "Her phone numbe'." He looked at the screen, while he dialed the number on his phone. The phone started to ring. After a few more rings, someone finally answered the phone.

"Hello?" a female oriental voice answered from the other end.

"Hello, is this Ayame?" J asked nervously.

"Yes it is," Ayame replied. "Who is this?"

"Name's J, n' I was matched to your profile on ."

"Really!?!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That's great. I can't wait to meet you."

"Me ne-…" J said before being interrupted by an alarm.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Someone is stealin' my ride," J lied. "I have to go to now n' get my car back. I'll talk to you late'."

"Okay bye and good luck in getting your car back," she said before hanging up.

J and Ice Blaze got up from the couch. Ice Blaze ran to the door, while J ran to the bed to get his shoes on.

"I'll meet you down there in moment Blaze," J said as he was slipping on his worn out pair of sneakers.

Ice Blaze nodded his head and headed out the door. Once J got his shoes on, he exited the room and headed down the hallway toward the briefing room of the facility. J reached the briefing room a moment after Ice Blaze did. The briefing room was a large circular room with high walls. The Road Rovers logo was on the floor. In front of the room was a balcony, where a white male with white hair and glowing white eyes wearing a white suit stood. Next to the balcony was a large monitor that is displaying the state of Florida. In front of the monitor was a circular table that has the Road Rovers logo on it. On one side of the table were seven seats.

Sitting in the four of the seats were four figures. The first figure was Ice Blaze. Next to Ice Blaze was a teenaged male German Shepherd, Doberman, and Golden Retriever mix with light brown fur with patches of dark brown throughout his body. His left ear had a chunk taken out. His tail is long and fluffy, and his hair is fluffy too. He wore a blue and red football jersey with the number one on it, blue jeans, sneakers, and a red and blue head band to keep his hair out of his face. Next to the mix was a German Shepherd that wore a camouflage army jumpsuit and a camouflage beret. Next to the German Shepherd was white male with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue jacket, white t-shirt, black combat pants, and white trainers. A unique feature about this person was a canine tail that stuck out from his pants.

J took a seat next to Ice Blaze and turned his attention to the man on the balcony.

"Rovers," said the man. "It seems like General Parvo is up to no good again."

"Name one thing tha' he has done anything good?" J said. There was a brief pause. "I rest my case."

"As I was saying, Parvo's men have kidnapped scientists and engineers from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. I don't know what he is planning, nor where his base is located. Go to the space center and look for clues."

The German Shepherd stood up from his seat and looked at everyone else in the group.

"All right troops," he said in an official commanding tone. "We've heard the situation from Master. Now it is our job to stop Parvo at all cost. Let's move out."

The group rushed out of the briefing room. Ice Blaze ran up next to J.

"Why do you always have to make sarcastic remarks?"

"Well, this habit is like a cockroach."

"A cockroach?"

"Yeah, it's too stubborn to die until you nuke it to kingdom come."

Ice Blaze just shook his head as the group approached the hangar. The group arrived at the hangar, which was an extremely large room full of Rover aircraft. In the center of the room was a large yellow R. The group headed over to a red jumbo sized dog-shaped aircraft. They boarded the vehicle. Inside the aircraft, the German Shepherd took the pilot seat, and Ice Blaze took the co-pilot seat. J sat behind Ice Blaze; the mutt is behind German Shepherd, and the human is behind J.

The German Shepherd requested permission for takeoff, which was granted. He started up the aircraft, and the aircraft slowly ascended toward the retractable roof. It finally made it out of the hole. The German Shepherd changed the direction toward Florida and started to fly in that direction. While en route to Florida, the human tapped on J's shoulder. J turned around and looked at him.

"I haven't introduced myself, my name is Chris," he said in a British accent.

"Sup man, name's J," J said as he extended his right hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Chris said as he shook J's hand.

"In front of me is my brothe', Ice Blaze," J pointed to the white tiger in front of him.

"Friends call me Blaze for short though," Ice Blaze added. "It's great to meet you Chris."

"It's great to meet you too Blaze, but I have a question…"

"I already know wha' it is," J interrupted. "You wanna know how me n' him are brothers right?"

Chris nodded.

"I'll give you the short, sweet, n' to the point story. I was human at one point, n' Blaze was a regular white tiger. We went to the park to relax but got ambushed by a group of ninjas. We woke up in Parvo's base. My cousin mutated me n' Blaze. We escaped n' ended up at Mission Control as stowaways in the Turbojet Rover. We got our butts chased before tellin' 'em it was a big misunderstandin'. We late' joined the Rovers."

"But that doesn't explain why you two are brothers though," Chris said.

"I was adopted into the family," Ice Blaze said. "I was J's pet before becomin' a felosapien. Afte' I became a felosapien we decided tha' I should be adopted into the family."

"Oh."

It took the aircraft a few hours, but they finally arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was large compound that featured a visitor center at one of the compound, and a launch complex at the other end. Within the launch complex was a rather large building used for assembling the spacecraft. The Sky Rover landed near the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The group disembarked from the Sky Rover. As they exited, a white man in his late 40s with black hair in a business suit approached them.

"Greetings Road Rovers, I'm Robert. D. Cabana," Robert Cabana introduced himself. "I'm the director here at Kennedy Space Center."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Cabana," the mutt said as he shook hands with Mr. Cabana.

"Can you brief us on what has happened here?" asked the German Shepherd.

"Well, some of our scientists and engineers were working on the Space Shuttle so that it could be ready for the launch of Node 3 in few months," Mr. Cabana said.

"Where were they last seen?"

"In the Vehicle Assembly Building," Mr. Cabana said as he pointed to the building that was close to the Sky Rover.

The German Shepherd turned his attention to the group.

"Alright soldiers, our objective right now is to search that building for any clues."

Everyone nodded their heads and headed toward the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once inside the building, everyone began to split up to search for clues. The entire building was huge. At one end of the building was Space Shuttle Endeavour. Throughout the facility were numerous machines and computer terminals that were used to inspect the space shuttle inside and out. J looked like a kid in a toy store when he saw the space shuttle and computer terminals.

"A geek's dream come true," J thought as drool started to fall from his mouth as he gazed at all the technology around him.

"J," the German Shepherd called to the drooling shiba inu teen. "Stop drooling and focus on the mission."

"Sorry Briggs," J said in a mesmerized matter. "For a compute' geek like me, this is paradise."

"Don't bothe' Briggs," Ice Blaze said as he walked up to the German Shepherd. "When you get him near anything tha' deals wit' technology, you'll need the Jaws of Life to get him away from it." He handed the German Shepherd a piece of dark cloth. "Oh yeah, I found this over by some compute' terminals ove' there." He pointed to the terminals close to the shuttle.

"Good work soldier," Briggs said.

"N' from the smell of it," Ice Blaze said, sniffing the cloth. "I havin' a bad case of déjà vu."

"Why is that?" asked the mutt as he and Chris met up with Briggs and Ice Blaze.

"Dylan, remembe' how J n' I were ambushed by those ninjas in the park a while back?"

"Yeah, I do," Dylan said, nodding his head.

"Well before bein' ambushed, I found a dark cloth in a bush with the same scent on it."

"What does that mean?" asked Chris.

"It means tha' it is the same group of ninjas who took the scientists n' engineers."

"We better report back to Master then," Briggs said as he turned around. He stopped and looked around the area for J. "Where's J?"

"I'll give y'all one guess," Ice Blaze said, nodding his head in the direction of the space shuttle. "I wonde' if they have a crowbar around here."

"Why do you need a crowbar?" asked Dylan.

"Trust me, even wit' all my strength, J will have a death grip on anything he can get his paws on," Ice Blaze said as he found a crowbar in toolbox.

"So what are you planning to do with the crowbar?" asked Chris.

"Well there are two ways to approach this," Ice Blaze said, resting the crowbar on his left shoulder. "The first way is to pry him off of wha' he is clingin' on to, while he is kickin', screamin', n' degradin' his dignity. The second way is to hit him upside his head wit' the crowbar. I highly recommend the second option because tha' way we don't have struggle wit' pryin' him off anything."

"Is there a third option that doesn't involve struggle or violence?" asked Dylan.

Ice Blaze shook his head. "Nope."

"We'll go with the first option," Briggs said. "It's non-lethal of the two options." He started to make his way toward the space shuttle.

Inside Endeavour's cockpit, J was sitting in one of the seats, looking at the controls to the shuttle. He had his laptop out and typed out notes on it. He also had a notepad and a pencil out so that he could make some diagrams. A group of shadows appeared behind the chair that J was sitting. The shadows belonged to Dylan, Briggs, Chris, and Ice Blaze. Their shadows blocked the light that was coming from the shuttle's ceiling, preventing J from continuing his diagram sketch of the shuttle's controls. He looked behind him and saw the group standing there.

"Hey guys," J said, laughing nervously. "Wha' brings y'all up here?"

Ice Blaze pounced onto J with brute force. J let out a scream as the white tiger pounced onto him. J attempted to latch onto to something as he was being dragged out of the shuttle.

"No!" he cried out as he latched onto one of the seats. "I ain't finished diagramin' the controls!"

"Yes…you…are…" Ice Blaze said as he pulled on J's kicking legs. "N' stop kickin' me in the face!"

"I'll stop kickin' when you let go of my legs," J said, kicking Ice Blaze in the chest.

"Like tha' is goin' to happen," Ice Blaze said as continued to pull on J's legs until a popping sound was heard.

J eyes went wide, and he released his grip from the chair, which sent him flying toward Ice Blaze. They collided with each other. Ice Blaze had the wind knocked out of him when J struck his chest, and J was on top of Ice Blaze unconscious.

"Well…I guess we have found our third option," Chris said.

"Yeah, but what was that popping noise," Dylan asked.

"I think I jus' popped J's legs," Ice Blaze said, pushing J's body off of his body so that he could get up.

Once up, Ice Blaze picked up J and placed him over his right shoulder. Chris and Dylan went into the cockpit to grab J's stuff. They returned a moment later. Ice Blaze picked up the crowbar that was dropped on the floor with his left hand. The group then exited the space shuttle and headed toward the exit of the Vehicle Assembly Building. While on the way out, Ice Blaze returned the crowbar back into the toolbox he found it in.

Everyone left the Vehicle Assembly Building and headed toward the Sky Rover. They boarded the aircraft. Briggs got back into the pilot's seat. Ice Blaze placed J in the seat behind the co-pilot's seat. After placing J in his seat, Ice Blaze took his position in the co-pilot's seat. Dylan sat across from J, and Chris sat behind J. Briggs started up the aircraft and headed toward Road Rover Mission Control.

11


	2. Breached

Chapter 2: Breached

Somewhere else in the world, in a large two level room, a white male with a muscular build stood at a command console. He wore black sleeveless shirt, khaki pants, one black boot. One feature was his blond moustache, but the most distinct feature was his metallic helmet and cybernetic left arm and leg. He watched the people down on the first floor work. On the lower level were numerous computer terminals, and a large monitor was located in front of the command console on the other side of the room. Behind the command console was a set of doors that lead to a hallway within the facility. A moment later, a group of ninjas accompanied by the kidnapped scientists and engineers entered the room.

"General Parvo," said a male oriental voice, approaching the man. "We've returned with the scientists and engineers from Kennedy Space Center."

General Parvo turned around and looked at the ninjas and the hostages. "Excellent work Takato. Now we can move on to the next phase."

"Which is?" Takato asked, pulling off his cowl to reveal a shiba inu canomutant.

"You see Takato," Parvo said. "I need these scientists and engineers build me a new canomutator."

"What's wrong with the one we have now?"

"With a few exceptions, the current canomutator only produces canomutants that have strength but no IQ."

"So you wanted us to kidnap those scientists and engineers to create an improved version of the canomutator that will make the canomutants smarter."

"Exactly," Parvo said, nodding his head. "But we still need some vital components for it to work. And the only place to get these components is in Japan, the technological capital of the world. I need you all to go to Japan and get some components for the canomutator. But before you go, take those scientists and engineers to the Canomutation Lab."

"Right away sir," Takato said, bowing down and putting his cowl back on.

The ninjas took the hostages out of the command center and into the hallway.

"So Takato," said one of the other ninjas as the group heads toward the lab. "Where are we going to get those components?"

"There is only one place that has the all the necessary components that is needed for the canomutator."

"Where is that?"

"Unown-Aero. They're known for advance technology, and they also have the materials needed for the canomutator."

Once the ninjas took the hostages to the Canomutation Lab, they left and prepared to leave for Unown-Aero.

Back at Road Rover Mission Control, the group informed Master on what they found at Kennedy Space Center.

"That's strange," Master said as he placed a hand on his chin. "What could Parvo want with scientists and engineers from the space center?"

"Whatever it is, it has to be some type of device," Dylan said.

"Yeah, but here's the thing though," Briggs said. "If he wants to build a device, wouldn't he take some of the materials and parts that were at the space center?"

"You're right," Master agreed, nodding his head. "That is peculiar. Why would Parvo take just the scientists and engineers but no materials or parts?"

"Maybe he needs something that is more up to date," Chris suggested.

"Where can he get something that is up to date?" asked Master.

Everyone in the room was quiet as they thought where Parvo may strike to get the parts and materials for whatever he is building. An idea struck Ice Blaze.

"Japan," Ice Blaze said.

Everyone looked at the white tiger.

"Care to explain?" Master asked.

"Think 'bout it," Ice Blaze said. "Where do most of the best electronics come from?"

"I see," J said.

"And he has to look for the most advanced equipment. N' where would you find this type equipment?"

J snapped his fingers and said, "Unown-Aero."

"Right, he might be sendin' those ninjas ove' there to get wha' he needs."

"Okay Rovers," Master said. "Head to Japan and stop Parvo's ninjas from taking anything from Unown-Aero. J and Ice Blaze, you'll be in charge, since you two know your company better than anyone else in the group."

"Yes sir," J and Ice Blaze said.

"A'ight everyone, we're a crew wit' a mission," J said, turning his attention to the group. "We're…"

"Road Rovers!" the entire group cried. Everyone howled, with the exception of Ice Blaze who roared.

They left the briefing room and headed back toward the Sky Rover to head to Japan. Once onboard, Ice Blaze took over piloting the Sky Rover, and Briggs took the copilot seat. Dylan sat behind Briggs, and J sat behind Ice Blaze. Chris sat behind J. Ice Blaze started the engines, and the aircraft ascended to the surface of the New Mexican desert. Once at the surface, Ice Blaze pointed the aircraft toward the west and flew in the direction.

Unown-Aero, the most advanced ride manufacturer in the amusement industry, is a large compound with numerous buildings that range from office buildings to large hangars. On the far right side of the compound is a factory, where all the parts for various theme park attractions are made. Next to the factory were numerous storage facilities that contain the materials that will be used to make the parts for specific attractions. In the center of the compound were the hangars that are used for research and development for various types of attractions. In front of the research and development facilities are the office buildings that are used for most of the business conducted at Unown-Aero. On the left side of the complex is the production studio that is used for audio and video for the attractions, whether it is at Paramount Resort or at some other park. Surrounding the entire compound is a barbed wire fence. The only way to enter the compound was through a security gate that is located near the office buildings, which are on the south side of the compound.

On the north side of the compound, near the storage facility, a group of figures climbed over the barbed fence stealthily. The figures turned out to be Parvo's ninja canomutants. They grouped up in the shadows near one of the storage facilities. Once they were together, they made out a plan.

"Okay, here's the plan," Takato said, taking out a satellite image of Unown-Aero from his uniform and placing it on the ground so that everyone can see. "Sister, your group will infiltrate this storage facility, which is where we're at right now." He pointed to the actual building. He then focused back on the map. "My group will infiltrate the Computer Research and Development Facility, which is on the other side of the main research and development complex." He pointed to a building that is smaller than the hangars. "Once we get what we need, we'll regroup outside of here. Understood?"

All the ninjas nodded their head in agreement.

"Okay, we better move. Oh, and one more thing…if there are people in the area, knock them out."

The group led by Takato's sister stealthily made their way toward the entrance of the first storage facility. Takato's group quietly moved through compound toward the Computer Research and Development Facility. As they moved toward the facility, the kept out of sight within the shadows so that they could avoid being spotted by a worker.

Five minutes after the ninjas infiltrated Unown-Aero, J's black Hummer H2 arrived at the security gate of Unown-Aero. J stopped at the gate and showed his ID card to guard. The guard raised the gate to let him through. J parked the vehicle in the parking lot that is located next to the office buildings. J, Ice Blaze, Dylan, Chris, and Briggs stepped out of the vehicle and closed the doors.

"Whoa, this place is huge," Chris said in awe as he looked at the huge compound.

"We can admire the vast size of this place later," Briggs said. "We have a mission to complete."

"Right," Dylan said before turning his attention to J and Ice Blaze. "So what's the plan?"

"Well," J began as he placed his right hand on his chin. "Since Parvo has kidnapped only scientists n' engineers, he'll be needin' an advanced compute' n' materials to make parts for whateve' he's makin'."

"Well tha' narrows our options to where to look," Ice Blaze said. "They have to go to the compute' research n' development facility n' the storage facility to get wha' they need."

"Right," J nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, here's wha' we'll do. We'll split up into two groups. Blaze, you n' Briggs head ove' to the Storage Facility, n' if you encounte' those ninjas, you know wha' to do."

Briggs and Ice Blaze nodded their heads. J turned his attention to Dylan and Chris.

"You two will come wit' me. We'll be goin' to the Compute' Research n' Development Facility n' stop those ninjas. A'ight, let's do this."

Everyone went to their respected groups and headed in separate directions. Ice Blaze and Briggs headed northeast toward the storage facilities. Chris and Dylan followed J as they headed north toward the Computer Research and Development Facility.

At the Research and Development Complex, the ninjas have arrived close to a building that was smaller compared to the military style hangars behind it. They were hidden within the shadows of one of the hangars. Takato stuck his head to ensure that the coast was clear. After a quick check of the area, he motioned for his group to follow him. They made their way to the front entrance of the Computer Research and Development Facility. Takato peeked through the window and noticed that there were people in the lobby. He stopped his group and motioned for them to head to the side of building. They moved toward the shadows that were casted by the building. Takato checked around him to make sure that no one was in the area and peeked back through the window. He saw that the people have turned their backs to the door.

"This will be easy," he thought as he carefully opened the door and slipped right in.

The lobby of the Computer Research and Development Facility was a big room with a wooden floor. Directly in front of the main entrance was an information desk made of oak. There was a hallway on each side of the room that leads to different areas of the facility. There were signs on the walls that lead to each of the hallways. The sign on the left hallway read: Computer Design Lab. The sign on the right hallway read: Computer Testing. A sitting area was located on the right side of the room with black leather furniture. Behind the couch was Takato in a crouching position.

"Great, nobody saw me," he thought.

"Sir?" asked a female voice that was coming from the information desk. "What are doing behind the couch?"

"Let me rephrase that, almost nobody saw me," he thought as he closed his eyes.

Takato quickly removed his cowl and hid it within his uniform. He stood up and walked over to the information desk, where a young woman with black hair that ran to middle of her back. She wore a yellow Unown-Aero t-shirt and shorts. She eyed the ninja from top to bottom.

"I dropped something under the couch, so I was looking for it," Takato lied to the woman. "But I found it."

In one quick motion, he knocked her out with a blow to the neck. He looked around and saw that no one was around. He quickly placed her underneath the desk. He placed his cowl back on and went back to the door. He opened it and motioned for his group to enter the building. They hurried quickly and quietly into the facility. Once inside the building, they headed the down left hall to the Computer Design Lab. On their way to the lab, they stealthily knocked the personnel in the facility.

Outside of the facility, J's group finally arrived at the Computer Research and Development Facility. J opened the front and entered the building, with Chris and Dylan following him inside the building. They were standing in the lobby, and J and Dylan sniffed the air.

"Ugh," J said as he covered his nose. "It seems like someone forgot to put some deodorant on." He coughed as the smell attacked his nose.

"I know," Dylan coughed. "But at least we know where the ninjas went." Dylan pointed down the left hallway.

"C'mon let's get goin'," J said, walking toward the left hallway.

The group headed down the hallway toward the Computer Design Lab. Along the way, they noticed the unconscious personnel that were lying on the floor. They continued until they reached the lab. J motioned for Chris and Dylan to remain quiet. They nodded their heads. All three of them stuck their ears to the door to listen to what is going on in the room.

On the other side of the door, the ninjas were going through various workstations, searching for the plans and a computer. One of the ninjas was looking through a cabinet and found a small white device that was similar to an Xbox 360.

"Takato," called the ninja. "I think I found the computer."

Outside of the lab, J nodded his head to Dylan and Chris. They got up from the floor, and J kicked the door open with his right foot.

"Didn't yo parents eve' tell you to wash up before comin' to someone's place?" J said, looking at the ninjas.

"Get them," Takato said in an emotionless state, pointing toward the group of Rovers.

J's group went in three different directions. Chris went to the right. Dylan went down the middle. J went to the left.

J headed toward Takato. He stuck his hands underneath his shirt and pulled out two 9mms.

"Oh, look who came prepared this time," J said, looking at Takato.

"Why don't you put your guns down and fight honorably?" Takato said.

"There are times tha' I'll fight honorably, n' there are times tha' I'll fight like a brothe'," J said before pointing his weapons at the ninja and saying, "This time, I'm fightin' a like a brothe'."

J pulled the triggers of both weapons, but Takato quickly unsheathed his katana that was strapped to his back and used the blade to deflect the bullets with ease. J decided not use his guns again; he quickly put the safety on both of them and placed them underneath his shirt again. He quickly grabbed a chair that was close to him swung it to Takato's right side. Takato sliced the chair into two. Under his cowl, Takato gave a quick smirk.

"Okay, we'll play it your way," J said, throwing down the chair pieces onto the floor.

"I'm glad you see things my way," Takato said, sheathing his katana.

The two shiba inus got into a fighting stance. J charged at the ninja, and he pulled his right fist back. He threw his punch at Takato, but Takato dodged it. However, he didn't see the chair piece that J concealed in his shirt. J struck him in the back of the head with the leg, causing the ninja to fall to the ground but not without taking J with him. As Takato fell, he grabbed J's shoulders, causing J to fall and hit his head on a table. Takato quickly got back up and went over to help another ninja that was fighting Chris.

Chris performed a round house kick to one ninja, but the ninja caught his leg and flipped Chris onto a table. Chris slid across the table, knocking papers off of it, and fell onto the floor. He got back up, but he quickly ducked as some kunai sliced through the air, barely missing his head. Chris got back up and charged towards the ninja. As he got closer to the ninja, he leaned with his left shoulder pointing toward the ninja and tackled him to the ground.

Takato reached the fight between Chris and the other ninja. Right before he was about to intervene, an arm caught him around the neck, and something was poking him in the rear. He shifted his eyes to the left and noticed J.

"Quick joke for ya," J said as he continued to hold onto Takato with his left arm around the ninja's neck. "Wha' did the thermomte' say to the dog?"

"What?" Takato asked in confused voice. His eyes went wide as he felt a sharp pain from something that was going up his rear.

"Oh crap," J said, while he shoved the chair leg that he was using earlier up Takato's rear.

Takato yelped and fell to the ground as J released hold on the ninja.

Dylan was having a difficult time with the last ninja. The ninja threw punches at Dylan, but Dylan could barely keep up. Chris saw this and motioned for J to hold the ninja he tackled, while he dealt with the last ninja. J nodded his headed and quickly pounced onto the ninja once Chris got up to help Dylan. Chris roundhouse kicked the ninja in the head, causing the ninja to stagger for a moment.

Inside the first Storage Facility, the ninjas were searching through various containers that were stacked on numerous shelves throughout the huge warehouse, looking for the needed materials for the canomutator. Unbeknownst to the ninjas, Ice Blaze and Briggs snuck into the facility undetected and were watching them scavenge through the containers from a distance.

"Briggs," Ice Blaze whispered, while watching the ninjas continue their search. "Do you have a plan?"

"We'll have to split up," Briggs replied in a whisper. "We're going to box them in. These shelves have already blocked them laterally." He pointed to the shelves with the containers. "All we need to do is block them vertically."

"A'ight," Ice Blaze whispered as he got up from his crouching position. "I'll go to the othe' side n' block 'em on tha' side."

"Be careful soldier," Briggs cautioned the white tiger.

Ice Blaze nodded his head. He extended his claws on his hands and started to climb along one of shelves slowly and quietly to prevent the ninjas from hearing him. Once at the top, he slowly crawled to the other side, but he had to stop a few times to make sure he hasn't been spotted by the ninjas down below. He looked down the other side of the aisle and noticed no ninjas in the area, so he decided to climb down that side. He placed one foot on a container and started his descent to the floor. However, as he climbed down, his foot slid a container from a shelf, causing it to hit the ground with a loud bang and releasing its contents all over the floor. The white tiger's blood froze as the container struck the floor. He quickly hid in the vacant spot and tried to conceal himself in the darkness the best he could as a ninja came to investigate the noise.

"What was that noise?" the female ninja asked from the other aisle.

"A container fell from a shelf," the investigating ninja replied as he looked down at the contents. "I found some more stuff that we need over here."

"Oh no you don't," Ice Blaze whispered to himself, before adding, "Change of plans Briggs."

Ice Blaze jumped out of the spot he was hiding in and landed in front of the ninja.

"We have company!" the ninja cried before Ice Blaze punched him in the muzzle.

The ninjas heard the alert and were already heading toward Ice Blaze's direction. At the other end of the aisle, Briggs heard the alert and headed toward Ice Blaze's location. Once he arrived, he saw Ice Blaze toss a ninja up in the air. Ice Blaze quickly dropped to the ground as two ninjas charged at the tiger, but they hit each instead. The ninja that Ice Blaze tossed up was coming back down. Ice Blaze did a handstand and kicked the falling ninja in the stomach with both his feet, hurling the ninja toward the far wall. Ice Blaze got up and noticed a ninja coming up behind Briggs.

"Behind you Briggs," Ice Blaze said, pointing to the ninja.

Briggs sideswiped the ninja with his right arm, causing the ninja to stumble and hit the shelf on the left. The vibration from the hit caused some containers to slide off the shelves and hit the ground, releasing their contents. Another ninja was sneaking up on Briggs from behind his back. Briggs sensed the ninja moving towards him. At the precise moment, his left fist made contact with the ninja's face.

Back at the Computer Research and Development Facility's Computer Design Lab, the fight was still going on. While Chris and Dylan with one ninja and J was holding onto another, Takato moved to a neutral spot and pulled out the chair leg that was lodged in the most unpleasant spot. He pulled it out in one swift motion. The pain surged through his body, but he refused to scream out in pain. Once it was out, he staggered over to where J was at with the chair leg in his hand.

Back with Chris and Dylan, both punched the ninja in the face. The ninja stumbled and flipped over a table, landing on the floor.

J watched the fight. However, he didn't notice Takato coming up to him.

"You're not the only one who can fight dirty," Takato said as he struck J with the chair leg.

J slipped into unconsciousness. The ninja that J was holding on to kicked J in the chest, sending the teen flying toward wall. J's body slid down the wall and landed on top of a table that was sitting against the wall.

"I have had enough of this," Takato said as he stuck his hand inside his uniform and pulled out a smoke bomb. "We got what we came for. Let's go."

Takato threw the smoke bomb onto the floor. The bomb exploded, releasing a cloud of smoke in the air. Chris and Dylan coughed as the smoke filled the air, blocking their vision of seeing the ninjas. After a few minutes, the smoke started to clear, revealing to Chris and Dylan that the ninjas have escaped and took the computer that was in the cabinet and the plans for the computer.

"They're gone," Chris said, looking around the room.

"I bet they got what they needed too," Dylan said.

A moan caught their attention, and they turned around to see that J was slowly regaining consciousness. They rushed over to him and helped him to his feet. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Dylan and Chris looking at him.

"Are you alright?" Dylan asked.

"Besides the fact that I was jus' cold clocked? Yeah, I'm fine," J said. He looked around the room and noticed that the ninjas were gone. "It seems like they took the compute'. We bette' check the staff n' make sure they're fine."

Dylan and Chris nodded their heads and helped J move toward the door that leads to the hallway. Once in the hallway, they noticed that all of the personnel were regaining consciousness one by one. Chris used J's phone to get medical personnel over to the Computer Research and Development Facility. They arrived a few minutes later and gave everyone some proper medical treatment.

Back at the Storage Facility, the fight was still going on. A ninja kicked Ice Blaze into his chest, causing the white tiger to stumble backwards into a shelf. Ice Blaze knocked the shelf over, causing a massive domino effect. Everywhere, materials were lying in huge mounds. Ice Blaze got back on to his feet.

Briggs motioned for Ice Blaze to help him pick up a sheet of steel. Ice Blaze nodded and picked up a stray sheet from the pile. Once they got it up, they started charging toward the female ninja. However, she had other plans. She pulled out a smoke bomb from her uniform and threw it on the ground.

"Get the stuff, we've overstayed our welcome," she ordered through the smoke filled air.

After the smoke was clear, Briggs and Ice Blaze saw that the ninjas escaped with some of the materials. They looked around the warehouse and noticed that it was a big disaster area.

"It'll take weeks to clean this mess up," Ice Blaze said as he surveyed the area.

"We might as well check on the others, since the ninjas have escaped," Briggs suggested as he started to make his to the exit by walking over the spilled contents and knocked down shelves.

Ice Blaze nodded and followed suit. They made their way toward the exit and headed toward the Computer Research and Development Facility. Upon arrival, they noticed an EMT vehicle at the building. Paramedics were coming out of the building with some of the personnel, heading to the vehicle to treat them. Ice Blaze and Briggs spotted Chris, Dylan, and J coming out of the building with some more paramedics.

"They will be fine sir," one paramedic said to J. "After some proper treatment, they'll be back to work in no time."

"Thanks," J said.

Ice Blaze and Briggs walked over to the group. Chris saw them first.

"They got away didn't they?" he asked the two.

"Yes, they did," Briggs replied. "They took some of the materials from the storage facility.

"Now, it looks like Hurricane Katrina decided to pay a visit to the Resort," Ice Blaze replied.

"Same here," Chris replied. "It's a disaster area in there."

"Well, we better head back to Mission Control and report this to Master," Briggs suggested.

The group headed toward the parking lot. J handed the keys to the H2 to Ice Blaze, since J received a bad headache from the fight with the ninjas. Ice Blaze took the keys and unlocked the doors to the vehicle. Everyone got into the vehicle. Ice Blaze started the vehicle and shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space. He then shifted into drive and drove out of Unown-Aero.

A few hours later, the group arrived back at Mission Control. They headed toward the Briefing Room to report to Master. In the Briefing Room, Master was standing at the podium, looking through some files. Master looked up from the files he was looking at to the sound of footsteps coming toward the briefing. He noticed that the group had returned from Japan.

"How did it go?" he asked the group.

"They got away with what they needed," Briggs stated in an official manner.

"Plus, they left a huge mess for us to clean up," Ice Blaze said.

"This is not good. Not good at all," Master said. "Do you know where they went?"

"Not a trace," Chris said. "They escaped using a smoke bomb."

"Luckily, there were no casualties," Dylan added. "Mostly the personnel at the Computer Research and Development Facility were knocked out."

"Well Rovers," Master said with a sigh. "At the moment, there is nothing we can do except wait."

"I hate to admit it, but there's no alternative," J said. "We'll have to wait until something happens." He then looked at Master. "Sir, Blaze n' I need to go back home so that we can handle the situation back at Unown-Aero."

"Go right ahead," Master said with a nod. "I hope everything is fine."

"We'll report to y'all if there is anything out of the ordinary," Ice Blaze said as he and J left the Briefing Room and headed toward the hangar to go back to their home at the Resort.

17


	3. First Date

Chapter 3: First Date

"So, Unown-Aero was breached earlie' today?" a teenaged African American female asked, looking at J and Ice Blaze.

The three teenagers were sitting on a curved couch in the living room of the apartment complex that was located within an attraction at Paramount Studios. The living room was large. On the right side of the room was a large rectangular window with a windowsill that is big enough for someone to sit on. In front of the room was a large wall mounted flat screen television. In front of the television were a coffee and the curved couch. In the back of the room was a group of elevators. A kitchen and a hallway that leads to the bedrooms and the home theater are located on the left side of the room.

"Yeah, it was Melanie," Ice Blaze said, nodding his head.

"They stole a compute', knocked out some of the personnel, n' stole some materials from the storage facility," J added. "Plus, they left a big mess in the storage facility n' the research facility."

"So, wha' should we do 'bout Unown-Aero?" Ice Blaze asked, looking at J and Melanie.

"We have to shut Unown-Aero down, so we can perform an investigate n' make an inventory of things tha' went missin'."

"Tha' is the best option," Melanie said.

"I'll go notify Master of our plan of action," Ice Blaze said, getting up from his seat and went over to the phone that was sitting on a table next to the elevators.

J got up from his seat and headed to his room. He went halfway down the hallway and stopped in front of a bedroom door. He opened a door to reveal a large room with a king size bed in the upper right hand corner of the room. A computer desk sat a few feet from the left side of the bed. An entertainment center sat on the left side of the room next to the computer desk. A regular desk sat next to the entertainment center. Next to the door to the room was a dresser. On the other side of the dresser was a closet. Sitting on the right side of the room, in front of the bed, is a chest of drawers.

He walked over to the bed and laid down on it. He reached over to the night stand that was located on the right side of the bed and picked up a remote control. He turned the television on and flipped through various channels. While he was flipping through the channels, his cell phone went off. He stuck his right hand into the right pocket of his jeans. He flipped it open and answered it.

"Hello?" J answered the phone.

"It's me," a familiar female voice said from the other end.

"Oh hey Ayame," J said, sitting up in his bed.

"I was wondering if you were doing anything tonight."

"Not really."

"Well, do you wanna do something tonight?"

"I don't mind. Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't know."

"How 'bout tha' karaoke club in downtown Tokyo?"

"That's fine. Do you mind picking me up at the train station at 6:45?"

"Not at all. I'll see you there."

"Okay."

J hung up and decided to get ready for the night out.

That evening, a 2003 silver Chevy Malibu arrived the parking garage located next to the train station. The car entered the concrete structure and made its way to a parking spot on the second level of the complex. The driver of the vehicle stepped out, and it turned out to be J. J walked over to an elevator and got in. The elevator descended to the first level of the complex. J stepped out of the elevator and headed next door to the train station.

The train station was a two level building with the platform on the second floor. On the first floor were the ticket booths on the left side. In the center of the area were the escalators to the loading platform. On the right side of the area was the schedule for the train. Next to the schedule was a set of elevators for the disabled passengers to get to the platform. The loading platform on the second floor was a huge open air area. Along the walls were wooden benches for people to sit on. On the walls were different advertisements for various products and destinations.

J walked into the train station and headed toward the escalators. He rode the escalator to the second floor. Once at the top, he headed toward one of the benches and sat down. He looked at his phone and saw that the clock said that it was 6:40, so he had five minutes to wait for the train to arrive. While he waited for the train to arrive, he looked at the various advertisements and watched people moving about the platform.

After five minutes, the train finally arrived at the station. The train came to a halt at the platform, and the doors opened up. People began to exit the train. Among the people was a female shiba inu with brown shoulder length hair in a pony tail. She wore a denim jacket over a red t-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. J got up from his seat and walked over to the female shiba inu.

"Are you J?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," J replied. "It's great to finally meet you."

"Same here," Ayame said.

J offered his right arm to Ayame, which she slipped her left arm through. They headed toward the escalators to the first floor. Once they reached the first floor, they headed out of the train station and toward the parking garage. On the second level, J unlocked the car doors with a remote, and he opened the door for Ayame. She thanked him as she climbed into the front passenger seat of the vehicle. He closed the door and moved to the driver side. He opened the driver side door and got in. He closed the door and fastened his seat belt. He started the car and shifted into reverse. Once out of the parking space, the car exited the parking garage and entered the traffic.

"I'm glad I'm outta the house for a bit," J said as he drove down the street.

"Why is that?" Ayame asked, looking at J.

"This mornin', my family's business was burglarized."

"I'm sorry. Was everyone fine?"

"Yeah, no one was injured, but the place is a huge mess. It'll take weeks to clean up. The whole place has to be shut down so that an inventory could be conducted to see wha' was stolen."

"I hope you find the people responsible."

"Same here," J said as he turned the wheel to the right.

The car pulled into a parking lot that was located next to the karaoke club. J and Ayame got out of the car. Once out, J used his remote to lock the car. They walked to the front of the building and entered through the glass double doors. Inside the karaoke club was a large dimly lit room with numerous tables and chairs in the center of the room. Along the walls were booths. In the center of the room were circular tables and chairs. On top of the tables were candle lamps. On the right side of the room was a bar where drinks are served. At the front of the room was an elevated stage where people can perform. Near the ceiling was a television that is used to display the lyrics to the song. On the right side of the stage is a DJ booth where people can go and request to perform a song.

J and Ayame picked a booth and sat down. A server came by and took their drink orders. As the server left to get their drinks, they sat back watched the people perform on stage. About a minute later, the server returned with their drinks. After a J finished his drink, he got up and left the booth.

"Where are you going?" Ayame asked.

"You'll see," J replied with a wink as he headed toward the DJ booth.

Once at the booth, J talked to the DJ about performing a song. While he talked to the DJ, he nodded his head toward Ayame's direction. After the last performer left the stage, the DJ spoke into a microphone that was located in his booth.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the DJ began. "We have a special treat for you tonight. We have a celebrity in the building that is going to sing a song to special young lady out in the audience. Let's give a round of applause to our next performer…J."

The audience applauded as J walked up on stage to the microphone. A spotlight shone on him. J turned his attention to the DJ and gave a nod with his head, signaling the DJ to start the song. The DJ started _True to Your Heart_ by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder.

J:

_Baby, I knew at once that  
You were meant for me  
Deep in my soul I know  
That I'm your destiny  
Though you're unsure  
Why fight the tide  
Don't think so much  
Let your heart decide_

Baby, I see your future  
And it's tied to mine  
I look in your eyes and see  
You searching for a sign  
But you'll never fall  
Till you let go  
Don't be so scared  
Of what you don't know

True to your heart  
You must be true  
To your heart  
That's when the  
Heavens will part (He stretched his arms to symbolize that the heavens were parting.)_  
And baby, shower you _(He brought arms up and slowly moved them down with his fingers wiggling to symbolize a shower.)_  
With my love  
Open your eyes  
Your heart can tell  
You no lies _(He shook his head.)_  
And when you're true  
To your heart  
I know it's gonna lead  
You straight to me _(He pointed to himself.)_  
(Got to be true  
To your heart)_

He walked off the stage and headed over to Ayame.__

Someone you know is on  
Your side, can set you free  
I can do that for you if  
You believe in me  
Why second-guess  
What feels so right  
Just trust your heart  
And you'll see the light

True to you heart  
You must be true  
To your heart  
That's when the  
Heavens will part (He stretched out his arms again.)_  
And baby, shower you _(He brought arms up and slowly moved them down with his fingers wiggling again.)_  
With my love  
Open your eyes  
Your heart can tell  
You no lies  
And when you're true_

_To your heart  
I know it's gonna lead  
You straight to me _(He pointed at himself.)__

(Ya know it's true)  
Your heart knows  
What's good for you  
(Good for you)  
Let your heart show  
You the way  
(Ya know it's true)  
It'll see you through  
(Got to be true  
To your heart)

Girl, my heart is driving  
Me to where you are (He pointed to Ayame.)_  
Well, you can take  
Both hands off  
The wheel and still get far  
Be swept away  
Enjoy the ride  
You won't get lost  
With your heart  
To guide you_

True to your heart  
You must be true  
To your heart  
That's when the  
Heavens will part  
And baby, shower you  
With my love  
Open your eyes  
Your heart can  
Tell you no lies  
And when you're true  
To your heart  
I know it's gonna lead  
You straight to me

True to your heart  
You must be true  
To your heart  
That's when the  
Heavens will part  
And baby, shower you  
With my love  
Open your eyes  
Your heart will  
Tell you no lies  
And when it's true  
To your heart  
I know it's gonna lead  
You straight to me (He pointed to himself.)_  
(Got to be true  
To your heart)_

When things are  
Gettin' crazy  
And you don't know  
Where to start  
Keep on believin', baby  
Just be true to your heart  
When all the world  
Around you  
It seems to fall apart  
Keep on believin', baby  
Just be true to your heart

After his performance, everyone clapped and cheered. Some were even giving J a standing ovation. Ayame ran out of the booth they were sitting at and gave him a hug, which he returned. Everyone cheered louder at the unfolding scene. Once everything calmed down, J handed the microphone to the next performer and took his spot back in the booth with Ayame.

"That was sweet of you," Ayame said with a smile.

"I knew you would like it," J replied with a smile too.

They couple watched a few more people perform before heading back out. Once out of the club, Ayame noticed a photo booth outside of the building and pointed it out to J. They walked over to the booth and went inside it. J inserted some money into the money slot. As the booth took their pictures, they got into different poses. After the pictures were taken, they got out of the booth, and J retrieved the pictures from the printing slot. On the strip were three different pictures of J and Ayame in different poses. The first picture showed J and Ayame sitting next to each other with a smile on each of their faces. The next picture showed them smiling, while making the V sign with their hands. The last picture showed them making silly faces.

"Wow, those came out good," Ayame said as she looked at the pictures of them.

"They sure did," J replied as he continued to look at the pictures. He then turned his attention to Ayame. "Why don't I take 'em home n' make bigge' copies of each of 'em?"

"Okay," she replied, nodding her head in agreement.

They walked back to the parking lot and headed over to the car. J unlocked the doors and opened the door for Ayame again. Once she was in, he closed the door and got into the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled out of the parking space. He waited until traffic was clear before pulling back out into the street, heading back to the train station.

Once at the station, J and Ayame headed toward the escalators and rode them up to the second floor. Once there, they took a seat on a bench and waited for the train to arrive at the platform.

"I had a great time tonight J," Ayame said.

"I did too," J replied as he looked at Ayame. "Hey, Ayame."

"Yes?" she asked, looking at J.

"If you're not busy, my family will be havin' dinne' this Saturday, n' it would be great for you to meet 'em."

"I'll be glad to come and meet your family," Ayame said.

The train finally arrived at the loading platform. J and Ayame got up from their seat on the bench, and J walked Ayame over to the train. The doors to the train opened. Before boarding the train, Ayame looked at J, and he looked at her. They stared into each other's eyes, knowing that there was something special between them. She gave J a goodnight kiss on the cheek and boarded the train. J stood back as the train doors closed. Ayame appeared at one of the windows. The train started to pull out of the station. As the train began its departure, Ayame waved at J from the window, and J waved back at her. Once the train left the station, he went back downstairs and headed to the parking garage so that he could return back to the Tower.

10


	4. Houston, We Have A Problem

Chapter 4: Houston, We Have a Problem

The next day, Parvo stood at his command console, watching his staff on the lower level doing their specific tasks at the moment.

"I wonder how the new canomutator is progressing," Parvo said outloud to himself. He pushed a button on the console. "Takato, how is the prototype progressing?"

A moment later, Takato's face appeared on the large screen. Takato still wore his ninja garments, but he wasn't wearing his cowl. He wore a black headband in its place. He was in the Canomutation Lab at the base. The room was large with tall walls. Along each side of the walls were computer terminals. Along the back wall was the prototype of the new canomutator. In the center of the room were numerous tables. Sitting at the tables were the kidnapped scientists and engineers from Kennedy Space Center. Takato was at a console, looking at small screen with Parvo's face on it.

"The prototype is completed sir," Takato said. "All that is left is to install the software into the computer, and we'll be all set.

"Excellent," Parvo said. "Let me talk to Khalil for a moment."

"Yes sir," Takato said as he turned away from the screen to look at a teenaged African American male with cornrows, wearing a black t-shirt, baggy jeans, and skateboard shoes. "Khalil, Parvo wants to have a word with you."

The teen walked over to the console.

"Yes Parvo?" Khalil asked.

"Have you determined which canomutant will go through the prototype?"

"At first I was goin' to use the prototype on Grudge, but I decided against it."

"Why?" questioned Parvo.

"Because he's a maverick that follows his own beliefs," Khalil explained. "Anyway, afte' careful evaluation, I found a suitable candidate to test the prototype on. Tha' Dalmatian you mutated back in 1996."

"Okay," Parvo said, nodding his head.

"The software to the canomutator has been installed into the computer, sir," one of Parvo's scientists announced.

"It seems like we're ready for a test drive," Khalil said, smiling and rubbing his hands together in eagerness. "Where's our test…I mean lucky volunteer?"

The Dalmatian canomutant walked into the lab, growling and snarling. Khalil walked over to the beast and led it over to the canomutator prototype. At a console near the canomutator was a male vulposapien scientist. He had red fur throughout his body, a patch of white fur around the muzzle, black fur at the tip of his ears, and brown fur around the hands. He had lime green eyes. He wore a light blue buttoned up dress shirt that is covered up by a white lab coat, dark grey slacks, and a pair of acid proof lab boots. Khalil looked at the vulposapien.

"Riley, open the doors to the prototype," he ordered the vulposapien scientist.

"Right away," Riley said sadly as he pushed a button on the console.

The doors to the canomutator slid open. Khalil looked at the Dalmatian and ordered it to step into the chamber. Dalmatian complied and stepped into the chamber. Riley closed the doors of the canomutator. He looked at Khalil, who gave a nod with his head to start the process. Riley typed a command on the screen.

Once the command was inputted, the prototype came to life. A low hum and hissing noises were heard from the device. As the machine was going through the transformation process, an alarm blared throughout the lab, which brought attention to Khalil and Takato. Suddenly, the computer system backfired and burst into flames. This started a chain reaction with the other computer terminals too. The inferno reached the chamber, causing it to short out.

The chamber began to malfunction, sending electrical current into the chamber, where the Dalmatian was in. The currents struck the Dalmatian from different angles, causing the Dalmatian to howl in pain from each shock that he received. He started to pound on the door, wanting to escape the pain. The exterior of the door started to receive dents from the pounding, and it eventually gave way. The Dalmatian stumbled out of the canomutator, panting real hard from the physical stress. He eventually passed out on top of the damaged door.

Takato quickly placed his right hand over Khalil's mouth as Khalil started going through a colorful language fit, while Takato kept an emotionless look on his face. Throughout his fit, Khalil moved his arms up and down and saying every single insult known to man. Once he was through with his little fit, Takato removed his hand from Khalil's mouth.

"Does anyone wanna tell me, wha' went wrong?" Khalil asked in venomously calm voice, eyeing the scientists and engineers. He reached over picked up a pipe. "If y'all don't, you'll understand why dogs don't like thermometers."

"Please don't remind me," Takato said, as he rubbed his butt.

One of the scientists stood up and cautiously made his way over to Khalil.

"Uhh…one of the reasons that this thing didn't work properly is because of the design of the computer," the scientist began. "It was poorly designed, resulting in a massive heat production from the chips on the motherboard. Another thing is that we never programmed a computer as advanced as that one before, so the program was faulty. The engineers have noticed that the materials used for this thing were the improper ones, so it couldn't deal with the process properly."

Khalil punched the scientist in the face. "I appreciate your insight." He turned his attention over to Takato. "What are we goin' to do now, since we now have a screwed up canomutator?"

"Simple," Takato replied, still in his emotionless state. "We go back to Unown-Aero, find the updated plans for the computer, get the correct materials, and get a staff member from the Computer Research and Development Facility."

"Why the last one?"

"That way, we have someone that knows how to program the computer, and this person could teach our staff on how to program it."

"I see," Khalil said.

Khalil and Takato walked back over to the console, and informed Parvo that the test was a failure. They also told him of what they were planning to do to ensure that the next one doesn't end up as a failure.

4


	5. Dinner

Chapter 5: Dinner

At the Unown-Aero Storage Facility, Melanie, Ice Blaze, and Briggs were conducting an inventory of all the materials within the warehouse. With army load of help, it took a few days instead of weeks to clean the warehouse after the breach at Unown-Aero. While going through a box of aluminum plates, Melanie noticed that some of the plates were missing.

"Hey, some of the aluminum plates are missing," Melanie said.

Briggs and Ice Blaze headed over to where Melanie was at.

"How many plates were in there originally?" Briggs asked.

Melanie picked up a clipboard that was on the floor next to her. She placed a finger on the page she was on and moved it down, skimming to find the aluminum plates on the list. Once she found it, she moved her finger to the right. As she moved across the row, there were different numbers, showing the previous amount of aluminum plates available. Her finger stopped at the last number in the row.

"On here, it says tha' we have 6,082 plates," replied Melanie before to pointing to each box. "Each of these boxes holds a thousand plates, but I can't find the last box."

"If Parvo wanted to build some type of machine, he wouldn't need these plates. He would need something much stronge' than this," Ice Blaze commented as he placed his right hand on his chin, looking up in the air as he thought.

"I see what you mean," Briggs said.

At the Computer Research and Development Facility, Dylan, Chris, and J were investigating and cleaning the Computer Design Lab. The lab was still a mess, with papers, equipment, and broken furniture strewn everywhere. J had a push broom and sweeping up the papers into a huge pile. Dylan placed the pieces of broken furniture into a large green trash can that they brought with them. While picking up some papers on the floor, Chris discovered something and picked it up.

"What's this J?" Chris asked, looking at J and showing him the paper.

J placed the push broom against one of the workstations and made his way over to where Chris was standing. Dylan did the same. J took a quick look at the paper.

"These are the updated plans to the compute'," J replied laughing.

"What's so funny?" Dylan asked with a confused look on his face.

"Well remembe' when the ninjas came n' took the compute' in the cabinet n' the plans?"

The two nodded their heads.

"Well they took the prototype compute' n' the prototype plans," J continued. "You see, the prototype was plagued with problems. The CPU n' GPU would overheat, causing the whole thing to become a worthless brick, but it makes for a greater heate' though. One of the reasons was tha' the coolin' system used in it wasn't sufficient enough to cool down the motherboard. Anothe' reason is tha' the chips we were usin' would produce a lot of heat. If a lot of heat is produced, it warps the motherboard, killin' the entire system."

"So these plans fixed the problems?" Dylan asked as he continued to look at the plans.

"Yes," J replied. He then pointed to the bottom of the computer on the plans. "Right here, we've moved the coolin' system from on top of the chips to the bottom. The coolin' system has a bigge' fan n' heat sink. We took the two fans tha' were in the back of the system out, but we left the ventilation holes there. We also made the chips smalle' so tha' they produce less heat."

"So what's the funny part?" Chris asked.

"Since, Parvo has the prototype compute', n' whateve' he is buildin' requires a powerful compute'," J began. "Then when it is tested, tha' sucke' is goin' to overload, causin' some chaos at his base."

Chris and Dylan started to laugh. Dylan stopped laughing and realized something.

"Hey J, since they have the prototype computer and if they did test it, and it overloads just like you said. Wouldn't that mean that they will come back here to get the updated plans?" Dylan asked, looking at the shiba inu.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"We better inform Master about this," Chris said.

Dylan and J nodded their heads in agreement.

In the Briefing Room, Master received a phone call from Ice Blaze.

"Master," Ice Blaze said from the other end of the line. "From our investigation here at Unown-Aero, my group noticed some of the aluminum plates are missing, but we realized tha' if Parvo was buildin' some sort of weapon, he needs something a lot stronge'. J's group discovered tha' Parvo's ninjas took a prototype compute' along wit' the plans for the prototype."

"I see," Master said. "I fear that Unown-Aero may get hit again, since the ninjas took off with the wrong materials and equipment. Please tell Dylan, Briggs, and Chris to stay there with you and J."

"A'ight," Ice Blaze said. "One of us will report back to you late'."

Ice Blaze hung up the living room phone and headed over to the couch, where J, Dylan, Chris, and Briggs were sitting. He sat down on the left arm of the couch next to Chris. They were discussing what should do.

"Any ideas?" Dylan asked, looking at the group.

"The only idea I can think of is to patrol those areas until they show up," Briggs suggested.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. While the discussion was going, J's phone goes off. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

"Hello?" he answered the phone.

"Hey J, it is Ayame," Ayame said from the other line. "I'm here at the train station."

"I'll be there in a few," J said as he hung. He got up from his seat and headed towards the elevator.

Ice Blaze saw J get up from his seat and stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm pickin' up Ayame from the train station."

"J, this mission is more important than your girlfriend."

J didn't listen to the white tiger as he turned around and entered the elevator. The doors closed, and the white tiger just stood there with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Well ain't tha' a…"

"Dinne' will be ready shortly," Melanie called from the kitchen, cutting off Ice Blaze's sentence.

At the train station, Ayame was sitting on one of the wooden benches on the second floor, waiting for J to arrive. She waited for about forty five minutes before J finally arrived at the platform. They greeted each other with a hug and headed downstairs to the parking garage. Once they got into the car, J exited the garage and headed back to the Tower.

"Please Blaze, don't hurt him," Dylan said as he tried to calm the big cat down.

Ice Blaze was sitting at the window and looked at the backstage area down below. The backstage area of the Tower was huge. The Tower, which depicts an old rundown Hollywood hotel, took up most of the space. Sitting close to the Tower was a multi-car garage. A few feet from the garage was a small building that leads to the Pipeline station that is located underground. He sat there growling to himself.

"Oh you don't have to worry 'bout me hurtin' him," Ice Blaze said, glancing at Dylan with his eyes before darting back toward the backstage area. "I'm goin' to flat out kill tha' sucke'!"

"Violence is not the answer soldier," Briggs said.

"It is when your carnivore," Ice Blaze said as he extended his claws and inspected them. He looked down and noticed the Malibu approaching the backstage. "Dead dog walkin'."

J parked the car in the garage. They got out of the vehicle, and J locked it. They exited the garage and headed to the Tower. Ayame eyed the building.

"You live here?" she asked, staring at the rundown hotel.

"It's actually themin'," J replied as he opened one of the glass doors. "It supposed to look like an old hotel. My family lives on the top floor of this buildin'. The rest of it houses an attraction."

They walked down the hallway toward elevators at the other end of the hallway. J pushed the up button, and the elevator doors opened, allowing the couple to enter it. J then pushed the apartment button. The doors closed, and the elevator made its ascent toward the top of the building.

In the living room, Ice Blaze was still sitting at the window, but his gaze now focused on the elevators. He stopped growling, but his tail twitched in agitation. A bell was heard throughout the living room and kitchen as the doors to one of the elevators opened. Ice Blaze got up from his seat by the window and started to crack his knuckles in anticipation. J and Ayame stepped out of the elevator. Ice Blaze took one look at Ayame and stopped. He decided not to make a scene, since there is a guest present.

"Sorry 'bout earlie' man," J apologized to the white tiger. He then gestured to Ayame. "I had to pick up Ayame. Besides, I couldn't leave her hangin' at the train station." He then pointed to Ice Blaze. "Ayame, this is my brothe', Ice Blaze."

"Long story," Ice Blaze said before Ayame could ask.

J then pointed to Briggs, Dylan, and Chris and introduced them. He also introduced her to Melanie. When Ayame greeted them, she seemed a little nervous, which didn't go unnoticed. J assured her that everything was fine.

"Dinne' is ready everyone," Melanie called from the kitchen.

Everyone made their way over to the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen was large so that it can handle large groups of people at once. Sitting in the middle of the kitchen was a large table with chairs surrounding it. A chandelier hung from the ceiling above the table. A counter was placed against two of the walls. Sitting on the counter was a microwave. The refrigerator sat against the left wall. Next to the fridge was the kitchen sink. The group sat around the table. On the table were numerous dishes.

"Dylan, do you mind sayin' grace?" Melanie asked, looking at Dylan.

"Not at all," Dylan said. "Will everyone please bow their heads in a word of prayer?" Everyone lowered their heads and closed their eyes as Dylan began to say grace. "Dear God, thank you for the food we are about to eat. Thank you for our friends that are letting us stay in their home. In Jesus name…Amen."

"Amen," everyone chorused before picking up their utensils and placing food on their plates.

While everyone started to eat their food, Melanie looked at Ice Blaze.

"Blaze, please don't do a repeat of Christmas dinne'."

"I'll resist the temptation," Ice Blaze said as smile crept onto his face.

"What happened?" Ayame asked as she took a bite of fried chicken.

"Some of our family members decided to visit us for Christmas," Ice Blaze said. "They're kinda dysfunctional…"

"Technically, I think the entire family is dysfunctional one way or anothe'," J added.

"Anyway, we had Christmas dinne', n' Mama insulted Uncle Sherman. Uncle Sherman threatened to stuff n' hang her ove' the fireplace. Mama then threatened him tha' she was goin' to plug up his butt wit' a turkey leg. Afte' she said tha', Uncle Sherman decided to rip one off."

"It was crazy," J added. "He turned the kitchen into a freakin' gas chambe'. Then Blaze decided to join the mayhem until Uncle Sherman n' him…"

"Welcome to the T.M.I. Zone," Melanie interrupted, stopping J from going any further in the story.

"I assure you sis tha' I won't," Ice Blaze said as he took a bite of his piece of fried chicken.

The dinner went without a hitch. After dinner, J and Ayame went back downstairs to the first floor and headed back out toward the garage. J unlocked the door to the garage, and the couple went into the garage. J unlocked the car with the remote and opened the front passenger side door for Ayame. She got in. J closed the door and moved over to the driver side of the car. He got in, fastened his seatbelt, and started the car. He backed out of the garage and pulled out of the driveway. Once on the road, J drove out of the Resort and headed toward the train station.

After a 30 minute drive, the car arrived at the parking garage. They got out of the car, and once out, J locked the car with the remote. They walked out of the parking garage and went next door to the train station. They entered the station and headed up to the second floor by heading towards the escalators. At the top, the train hasn't arrived at the station, so J and Ayame sat on a bench. While waiting for the train to arrive, J handed a manila envelope to Ayame. She accepted the package.

"What's in here?" she asked, looking at the manila envelope.

"Open it," J replied as a smile started to form on his face.

She opened up the envelope and pulled out enlarged pictures that were taken from their first date. She flipped through them and gave J a hug.

"Thanks," she said as she continued to hug him.

"There's one more thing," J said as he pulled a small velvet box from his left pocket and handed it to her.

Ayame opened the box to reveal a gold ring with a diamond on top. There was an inscription on the inside of the ring that reads: _J and Ayame forever_. J placed the ring on her finger. Once it was placed on her finger, Ayame held it up and admired its beauty.

"This is beautiful."

"I knew you would like it," J said with a smile.

A few minutes later, the train finally arrives at the station. The couple made their way over to the train. Before going on the train, J and Ayame looked at each other lovingly. After a brief pause, they gave each other a passionate kiss. Once they broke for air, Ayame got onto the train and quickly took a window seat. The doors to the train closed. J stood back as the doors closed. From the window, Ayame looked out and waved at J. J waved back at her as the train started inching its way out of the station. Once the train left the station, J headed back downstairs and went back to his car in the parking garage. He got into the car, exited the parking garage, and headed back toward the Resort.

9


	6. The Truth is Devastating

Chapter 6: The Truth is Devastating

In the living room at the Tower, Ice Blaze, Chris, Melanie, Briggs, and Dylan were sitting on the couch.

"Guys, I think there's more to J's girlfriend than wha' meets the eye," Ice Blaze said, looking at the group.

"Why do you say that Blaze?" Dylan asked. "I think she's a nice girl."

"Didn't y'all notice how nervous she was when we first met her?"

"Now that you mention it," Briggs said. "She was looking at you and me kind of funny."

"Another' thing I noticed was her scent," Ice Blaze continued. "I recognized tha' scent from a while back. It was before J n' I became Road Rovers."

"She did smell familiar," Briggs said, nodding his head. "You don't think…"

Right before Briggs was about to finish his sentence, the bell to the elevator rang, and the doors opened. Everyone turned around to see J coming out of the elevator and entering the living room. Ice Blaze got up from his seat and motioned for J to follow him. J nodded his head and followed the white tiger out of the living room. The two went down the opposite hallway toward the home theater. Ice Blaze opened the door and went in. J followed him into the theater and closed the door behind him. Ice Blaze took a seat on the top row, and J sat down next to him.

"Is there something you wanna talk 'bout Blaze?" J asked, looking at his brother.

Ice Blaze remained silent for a few minutes as he thought about how he would express his concerns about Ayame. After some thought, he let out sigh and turned his attention to J.

"I really don't know how I'm goin' to say this," Ice Blaze said as he ran his fingers through his fur. "I must well get to the point." He closed his eyes and let out another sigh. He opened them again and looked at J again. "Eve' since this evenin', when you brought Ayame ove' here, I was getting' a lil' suspicious."

"'Bout wha'?"

"When we first met her, she was kinda nervous bein' around us. Durin' dinne', she kept lookin' at me n' Briggs kinda funny."

"Wha' kind of look was it?"

"It was kinda like an 'I don't trust you' look," Ice Blaze replied. He took a deep breath before saying what was on his mind. "I think she's hidin' something from us, especially from you."

"I think you're paranoid. She could've been nervous 'cause she's seein' new people," J said as he placed his right hand on the tiger's forehead. "Are you fine?"

"I'm fine," Ice Blaze said, swatting the hand off his forehead. "Listen J, I have smelled her scent, n' it's similar to the one at the Storage Facility n' the ambush at the park before we became Road Rovers."

"So you're sayin' tha' Ayame is one of Parvo's ninjas?"

"Tha's exactly wha' I'm sayin'."

"I don't believe it," J said.

"I know it sounds farfetched, but I think it's the truth."

"No, I don't believe wha' you're sayin'."

"Wha'?" Ice Blaze exclaimed with a shocked expression on his face. "Why?"

"I think you want me to stop seein' her."

"No," Ice Blaze said, shaking his head and holding up his hands in defense. "I do want you to see her, but I'm concerned 'bout your safety."

"Look Blaze, I can take care of myself. You jus' watch your back," J said as he got up from his seat and headed toward the door.

Ice Blaze remained in his seat in stunned stupor. He remained in his seat for a few minutes before getting out of his seat and leaving the home theater. He closed the door to the theater behind him and made his way back to the living room. Upon his arrival, he noticed concerned looks on everyone's faces.

"Where did he go?"

"He went to his room," Melanie replied.

"From the way he looked, he didn't take the news well," Chris said, looking at the tiger.

"No," Ice Blaze said as he slowly made his way to the couch and plopped down on the spot he had earlier. He dropped his head into his hands. "Now I feel terrible."

Dylan rested a hand on the white tiger's back and patted it gently.

"He'll know the truth eventually," Dylan said.

"Yeah, but it's goin' to sucke' punch him in the face when he finds out though," Ice Blaze said, lifting his head out of his hands.

The next day, J, Dylan, and Chris were at the Computer Research and Development Facility, patrolling the area for any suspicious activity. They were doing a thorough search through each of the rooms in the facility, looking for the ninjas. As they were searching, J decided to leave the facility. Dylan noticed J leaving and stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm headin' ove' to the Storage Facility n' apologize to Blaze," J said. "Wha' happened last night was truly uncalled for."

"Well I hope things will get patched up rather quickly," Chris said.

"Don't worry," J said with a smile. "We can patch things up real quick."

He left Chris and Dylan in the facility to continue the patrol. He made his way out of the building and headed east toward the Storage Facilities. After a few minutes of a walking, J finally arrived at the first Storage Facility warehouse. He opened the door, went in, and closed the door behind him. Once inside, he began to look for Ice Blaze and apologize to him.

On the other side of the facility, Ice Blaze and Briggs were patrolling down an aisle, making sure that the entire place was secured. Ice Blaze felt guilty for expressing his opinion about Ayame to J. His ears were drooping, and his tail dragged the floor. Briggs noticed Ice Blaze's depressed state.

"You're still thinking about last night?" Briggs asked, looking at the white tiger.

Ice Blaze stopped walking and let out a sigh, while lowering his head slowly. He gave a quick but slow nod. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. He brought his head up and looked at Briggs.

"I jus' feel guilty for tellin' him," Ice Blaze said as he rested his back against one shelves. "I was jus' concerned 'bout his safety n' tha' was all."

Briggs walked over to the teen and placed a hand on the tiger's shoulder. "I know you're concerned about your brother. We're all concerned. We have to watch each other's back, even if one of them is blind sighted by love because we are our brother's keeper."

"Thanks Briggs," Ice Blaze said, looking at the German Shepherd.

"Anytime soldier," Briggs said, giving Ice Blaze a supportive pat on the shoulder. "Well, we better get back to patrolling this facility."

"Right."

They began their patrol again. On the other side of the warehouse, J was still searching for them.

"Man, why did we make these warehouses freakin' huge?" he said to himself as he looked down an aisle.

He let out a sigh when he didn't find them in the aisle. He made his way down until he reached another aisle. He spotted Ice Blaze and Briggs heading toward the other end. He ran down the aisle so that he could catch up to them. Ice Blaze and Briggs heard the sound of someone running towards them. They quickly turned around and got into a fighting stance, but they relaxed when they saw J running toward them. J stopped in front of them. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees. Once he regained his breath, he stood back up.

"Are you okay J?" Ice Blaze asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," J replied. "May I talk to you?"

"Sure," Ice Blaze said. He looked at Briggs and gave him a nod; Briggs understood and left them alone. "Wha' is it tha' you wanted to talk to me 'bout?"

"Blaze," J said as he placed on hand on the white tiger's shoulder. "I jus' wanna apologize for the way I acted last night. I knew you were concerned 'bout me, n' I appreciated tha' a whole lot. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," Ice Blaze said, giving the shiba inu a hug. "I still love you as a brothe'."

"Thanks man," J said, returning the hug.

"Well isn't tha' sweet," a male oriental voice said behind them. "It seems like there are still traces of family value left in this crazy world."

J and Ice Blaze broke from the embrace and turned around to face the owner of the voice, which turned out be a canomutant ninja. Behind the ninja were a few more. J and Ice Blaze got into a fighting stance, and the ninjas did the same thing. Two ninjas jumped onto the top of a shelf, and J followed suit by climbing along a shelf. Ice Blaze charged at the three ninjas in front of him. On the other side of the warehouse, Briggs was in his own battle with two ninjas.

At the top of the shelves, the ninjas were jumping from one shelf to another. J made it to the top of the shelf. He pulled out his two 9mms and pursued them. He took aim and fired shots at them. However, the ninjas dodged the bullets. They stopped on one of the shelves, turned around, and unsheathed their katanas. J continued to fire shots at the ninjas, but they deflected them with the blades of their katanas. J quickly changed direction and headed to his left, going down the shelf. He jumped to the next shelf and fired a shot at the first ninja that was on the second ninja's right. The bullet pierced into first ninja's right shoulder. The ninja yelped, dropping its katana and clutching its arm.

Down below, Ice Blaze charged his way toward ninjas. The ninjas that were standing next to the middle ninja quickly evaded the tiger, but the middle ninja wasn't as fortunate. The white tiger pounced on the helpless ninja. The ninja cried out as the weight of the white tiger came crashing on top of him.

Briggs quickly ducked as one ninja threw three kunai in his direction. While still crouching to avoid any flying objects, Briggs charged toward the ninja and punched the first ninja from the left side, cracking a few ribs. The ninja howled in pain, clutching its left side and falling to its knees.

At the Computer Research and Development Facility, Dylan and Chris were still patrolling the facility.

"Dylan, do you think J and Blaze straightened things out?" Chris asked, looking at Dylan.

"I sure hope…" Dylan stopped talking as he heard something. "I think we got company," he said in whisper. "Come on."

Chris nodded his head and followed Dylan toward the source of the sound. They quietly made their way toward the Computer Design Lab. They rested their ears against the door and heard noises on the other side of the door.

On the other side of the door, the ninjas were looking through the workstations in search of the updated computer plans. Takato searched through a workstation and discovered a folder. He picked up the folder and looked inside, and he saw the plans for the updated computer.

"I found the updated plans to the computer," Takato said, closing the folder and turning to the rest of his group. "Let's get out of here before those Rovers show up."

After he said that, the door to Computer Design Lab opened up, and Chris and Dylan rushed into the room. Takato quickly placed the folder inside his uniform and got into a fighting stance; the other ninjas followed suit. Chris and Dylan did the same. For a few minutes, the room was silent, and no one made a move. They just stared each other down, waiting for someone to deliver the first strike. While staring each other down, Chris noticed a flash at the corner of his eye. He slowly moved his eyes to the left and noticed that another ninja was behind Dylan with the katana raised above its head.

"Dylan! Watch out!" Chris cried as he charged toward Dylan and the ninja.

Dylan quickly turned around and saw the ninja that was behind him. The ninja was about to bring down the katana, but Chris quickly ducked underneath the swinging blade and gave the ninja an uppercut to the chin. The blow caused the ninja to stumble and drop its weapon, which landed on the ground. The ninja hit the wall and slid down to the floor. Chris quickly grabbed the katana from the floor and held it out in front of him. He charged after Takato. Takato quickly unsheathed his katana and blocked the swing in a graceful fashion. He looked at Chris with an indifferent look in his eyes.

Dylan dove behind a workstation as ninja stars were thrown in his direction. He crouch-walked his way to the end of the workstation and spotted the two ninjas that threw the ninja stars at him. He slowly moved toward the ninjas. Once he was behind them, he stood up and banged their heads together, knocking both of them out. They collapsed onto the floor, with one ninja on top of the other.

The ninja that received the uppercut earlier made its way toward Chris. The ninja pulled out a knife. Dylan saw this and ran toward the knife wielding ninja. He tackled the ninja, who let go of the knife as he got tackled by Dylan. The knife nearly missed Dylan's head as it sailed across the room. They were struggling on the floor, with Dylan on top of the ninja. The ninja quickly placed his right foot on Dylan's chest and kicked him, sending the teen flying. Dylan landed and slid across one of the workstations, falling off the end of it.

Back at the Storage Facility, Briggs was dodging and blocking the strikes that the ninja delivered in a rapid fashion. He quickly shoved his right palm directly into the ninja's face. The ninja reeled back in pain from the crushing blow to the muzzle. He charged at Briggs and performed a round house kick, but Briggs ducked and quickly grabbed the leg that was above his head. He slammed the ninja's body to the ground on his right, forming cracks on the concrete floor. The ninja was lying on the floor motionless.

The ninja that was shot by J was still clutching his wound. J bounded toward the ninja's direction. When he got close to the ninja, J performed a flying kick to the ninja's chest, knocking him off the shelf. Once he was finished with that ninja, J turned his attention toward the other ninja that was running away. He pointed one of his guns at the ninja and fired a shot. The bullet just grazed the top of the ninja's cowl. This caused the ninja to stop in its tracks and turned around to see J coming toward its direction.

As he was coming closer to the ninja, the ninja started to back away, but the ninja's foot started to feel edge of the shelf. The ninja looked down and noticed the edge. The ninja looked back at J, who had smirk on his face.

"I have a physics question to ask you," J said, looking at the ninja, with the smirk still on his face. "Wha' does it mean when two bodies go ove' the edge of a tall shelf?" He ran and tackled the ninja, which caught the ninja off guard. "It means it's goin' down!"

The two plummeted toward the ground, with J on top of the ninja. They struck the ground, forming more cracks in the floor. J got up from and dusted himself off. While dusting himself, he noticed a ring on the ninja's finger. He got down on one knee and took a closer look at the ring and recognized it as Ayame's ring. He quickly grabbed the ninja by its uniform top and slammed the ninja against the wall. The force of the impact caused the ninja to open its eyes slowly. The ninja looked into the rage filled eyes of J, who was now wielding a knife dangerously close to the ninja's neck.

"First my company n' now this," J said, glaring at the ninja that he was holding at arm's length. "Let's see wha's behind cowl numbe' one."

He placed the knife back into his pocket and pulled the cowl of the ninja's head to reveal Ayame's head. J was shocked when he saw his girlfriend's head underneath the cowl. He was so shocked that his hold on her uniform loosened, and she fell to the ground. On the ground, Ayame stared at J, while he stared back at her. While they stared at each other, it seemed like time had slowed down to a crawl, while everything outside of their space was happening in real time. J tried to say something, but he somehow lost the ability to speak.

"J!" Ice Blaze called to the stunned teen. "I need your help!"

To J, it was muffled and blurry as he continued to stare at Ayame. Their minds were racing with numerous thoughts, and it was starting to overload their minds.

"J!" Ice Blaze called again as he slashed the back of one of the ninjas with his claws.

Slowly, their world started to speed up again.

"J!" Ice Blaze called out, still trying to get through to his brother, while fighting the ninjas.

J finally snapped out of his stupor, and Ayame did too. She grabbed her cowl and got up from the floor. They started to slowly back away from each other, turned around, and went in opposite directions, with tears streaming down their cheeks.

Ice Blaze kicked one of the ninjas in the chest, cracking of some of the ribs. The ninja that Ice Blaze pounced on earlier got up and pulled out his knife from the inside his uniform. Ice Blaze turned around to see the ninja coming toward him with the knife. The ninja raised the knife and lunged toward Ice Blaze, but Ice Blaze grabbed the knife wielding hand and squeezed the ninja's hand with all his strength. He shattered the bones in the ninja's wrist. The ninja cried out in pain as Ice Blaze released his hold on the ninja's broken wrist.

The last ninja pulled out a smoke bomb from his uniform and threw it on the ground. The bomb exploded, releasing a stream of smoke. Everyone's field of vision became foggy as the single bomb filled up the entire warehouse. J, Ice Blaze, and Briggs were coughing as some of the smoke entered their bodies. The sounds of the ninjas scrambling to get the needed materials resonated throughout the building before everything went quiet. The smoke in the warehouse started to dissipate, and everyone's vision started to clear. Briggs joined J and Ice Blaze, and they looked around the warehouse and noticed that the ninjas were gone.

Back at the Computer Research and Development Facility, Chris and Takato were still going at it. The blades of the katanas clashed and sparked from each strike they made. They stared each other down.

"I've had enough of this," Takato said, moving the blade of his katana along Chris's katana. "I got what I came for."

He pulled out a smoke bomb from his uniform and threw it on the ground. It exploded and filled the room with a thick screen of smoke. Chris and Dylan coughed. The sound of a katana being sheathed and the sound of hurried footsteps were heard through the thick smoke. The smoke cleared. Chris and Dylan looked around the room and saw the ninjas were gone. Dylan went over to the workstation and noticed the folder with the updated plans was missing.

"They took the plans," Dylan said, looking at Chris.

"We better meet up with the others," Chris said, dropping the katana onto the floor.

Dylan nodded his head as the duo left the ransacked room to head back outside to regroup with the others at the Storage Facilities. Once outside, they headed east toward the Storage Facilities. They finally arrived a few minutes later at the first storage facility warehouse. They saw Briggs, J, and Ice Blaze come out of the building. Chris and Dylan made their way over to the group.

"They escaped didn't they," Ice Blaze said, looking at Chris and Dylan.

"Yeah, and they took the updated plans to the computer," Chris replied.

Dylan noticed J's depressed expression.

"What's wrong J?" Dylan asked, looking at the depressed teen.

"Remembe' when I said he's goin' to get sucke' punched when he finds out? Well he found out a'ight n' got cold clocked by reality," Ice Blaze replied.

"So, Ayame was one of Parvo's ninjas?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Ice Blaze said, nodding his head slowly.

J just lowered his head and walked in the direction of the parking lot. Dylan and Ice Blaze watched J's retreating form with hurt expressions on their faces.

"Poor J," Chris said, following everyone else.

"It's sad to see someone's heart crushed like that," Briggs commented.

They headed toward the parking lot. Once at the parking lot, J got into the driver's seat of his H2. Ice Blaze sat next to him in the front passenger seat. In the second row, Briggs sat behind Ice Blaze, Chris sat next to Briggs, and Dylan sat behind J. Once everyone was in the vehicle, J sighed and started up the vehicle. The H2 pulled out of the parking lot and exited Unown-Aero.

Somewhere in the sky, a black Blackhawk helicopter flew in the sky. On both sides of the aircraft were white letters, spelling out: GEN-PAR Inc. Inside the helicopter, the cockpit had the pilot and co-pilot seats. In the rear was where most of the troops would sit. Currently in those seats were the ninjas. Some of the ninjas were lying down to alleviate some of the pain they received from the previous battles. Sitting in the far back of the helicopter was Ayame. She sat on the floor, with her back against the wall. Her knees were close to her chest. She had her arms around her legs, and her head was down.

Takato got up from his seat and went to the back of the helicopter to see his sister. When he reached the back, he could hear her crying. He walked over to her and kneeled down next to her. He placed a hand on her back. He looked at his sister with a look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong Ayame?" he asked as he lifted up her head.

She looked at her brother through her tear filled eyes and said, "My boyfriend is a Road Rover."

14


	7. You'll Always Be My Boo

Chapter 7: You'll Always Be My Boo

A few days after the incident, J was in his room at the Tower, lying on his bed. The television was on, with the volume down, but he isn't watching the television. He stared blankly at the ceiling, recounting everything that had happened before the revelation. He closed his eyes and sighed. While he was thinking, the sound of the doorbell resonated throughout the apartment complex. With a sigh, he got up from his bed and exited the room. He was the only one in the Tower at the moment because everyone else went to Unown-Aero to investigate the Storage Facility to see what was stolen. He walked into the living and headed over to the intercom. He pushed the button on the intercom and spoke into it.

"It's open," he said in a down in the dumps tone.

He waited for a reply, but he didn't get one. He just shrugged his shoulders and moved to the couch. He plopped down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. The elevator bell rang, signaling to J that the elevator has arrived. He sat up on the couch and turned his head in the direction of the elevator. The elevator doors opened to reveal Ayame in her ninja garb with the exception of the cowl.

"Ayame," J said as he got up from the couch and walked over to her. "Wha' are you doin' here?"

"I came to return this," she replied as she stuck her hand in her uniform and pulled out the ring. She handed the ring over to him. "I also came to say goodbye."

She turned around and headed toward the elevator.

J:  
_There's always that one person  
That will always have your heart _(Ayame stopped and turned around to look at J.)_  
You'll never see it coming  
Cause you're blinded from the start  
Know that you're that one for me  
It's clear for everyone to see  
Ooh baby ooh you'll always be my boo_

Ayame:  
_I don't know bout you  
But I know about us and uh  
This is the only way  
We know how to rock  
I don't know about you  
But I know about us and uh  
This is the only way  
We know how to rock_

J:  
_Do you remember girl  
I was the one who gave  
You your first kiss  
Cause I remember girl  
I was the one who said put  
Your lips like this _(He moved toward Ayame and closed his eyes, while puckering his lips.)_  
Even before all this mess  
And chaos came about  
Girl I was there when you were my baby_

It started when we were younger  
You were mine (my boo)  
Now the truth has taken over  
But it's still in your eyes (my boo)  
Even though we're going to fight it is alright  
I know we haven't seen each other  
In a while but you will always be my boo

Ayame:  
_I was in love with you  
When we were younger  
You were mine (my boo)  
And I see it from time to time  
I still feel like (my boo)  
And I can see it no matter  
How I try to hide (my boo)  
Even though the truth has  
Made some changes in my life  
You will always be my boo_

Yes I remember boy  
Cause after we kissed  
I could only think about your lips  
Yes I remember boy  
The moment I knew you were the one  
I could spend my life with  
Even before all the mess  
And chaos came around  
I was there and you were my baby

J:

_It started when we were younger  
You were mine (my boo)  
Now the truth has taken over  
But It's still in your eyes (my boo)  
Even though we will be fighting it's alright  
I know we won't be seeing each other  
In a while but you will always be my boo_

Ayame:  
_I was in love with you  
When we were younger  
You were mine (my boo)  
And I see it from time to time  
I still feel like (my boo)  
And I can see it no matter  
How I try to hide (my boo)  
Even though we concealed  
Our secrets of our lives  
You will always be my boo_

J:

_My oh, my oh, my oh, my oh, my boo_

Ayame:  
_My oh, my oh, my oh, my oh, my boo_

J:  
_It started when we were younger  
You were mine (my boo)  
The truth has taken over  
But it's still in your eyes (my boo)  
Even though we will be fighting it's alright  
I know we won't be seeing each other  
For awhile but you will always be my boo_

J and Ayame:  
_I don't know bout you  
But I know about us and uh  
This is the only way  
We know how to rock  
I don't know bout you  
But I know about us and uh  
This is the only way  
We know how to rock_

"Ayame, take me wit' you," J said, holding her hands.

Ayame was taken aback by this statement.

"Why?" she asked.

"I know y'all took the updated plans for the compute', but y'all don't have anyone tha' can program 'em properly. Since Unown-Aero was shut down, y'all couldn't get anyone from the Compute' Research n' Development Facility, but I'm the only tha' can build n' program 'em."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Ayame nodded her head in silent agreement. They both headed to the elevator, but J stopped.

"Wait, lemme get my work laptop," J said as he ran back into his room and grabbed a laptop carrying case that was sitting on the desk next to the entertainment center. He returned with the carrying case. "Don't worry, there's no GPS chip inside this laptop. Now I'm ready."

The elevator doors opened, and they got into the elevator. The doors closed, and the elevator descended to the first floor. Once the elevator made it to the first floor, the doors opened, and J and Ayame entered the hallway and headed toward the exit.

"Where's everyone else?" Ayame asked as she broke the deafening silence.

"They're at Unown-Aero, checkin' to see wha' was stolen," J replied as he opened the door for Ayame.

"Uhh…thanks," she said as she went through the door.

J followed her out of the door and into the scorching summer heat. They walked behind the garage and toward a hover bike. They boarded the vehicle, with Ayame in the front and J in the back. She started the vehicle and piloted it toward Parvo's base.

At Parvo's Base Command Center, Parvo stood at the console, playing with his moustache. He watched his staff down below until the doors to the command center opened, revealing Ayame and J. Parvo turned around and saw them enter the room.

"Ayame," Parvo said, looking at the female ninja. "Why did you bring one of Shepherd's pets here?"

"Parvo," J said, looking at the man. "I know you're buildin' some type of machine 'cause your ninjas ransacked my business, takin' materials n' the plans for the compute'. Howeve', you need someone to build n' program the compute'…"

"You are just going to make a faulty computer," Parvo interrupted.

"Now listen here cat man," J said, which earned a growl from Parvo. "I take pride in my work, n' I'm not goin' to short change you out of my expertise. I assure you. You'll get more bang as a result if I do it."

"Very well," Parvo said as he pushed a button on the console. "Takato, could you come down here?"

"I'm on my way sir," Takato replied.

A few minutes later, Takato arrived at the Command Center. Takato took one look at J and sighed.

"Of all people, why you?" he asked, staring at J with an uninterested look on his face.

"Am I missing something?" Ayame asked with a confused expression on her face. She looked at her brother and asked, "What happened?"

"Let's just say I'll never look at thermometers the same way again," Takato said, crossing his arms and staring at J. He turned his attention to Parvo. "What was it that you wanted sir?"

"Take this Rover to the Canomutation Lab so that he can begin work on the new canomutator," Parvo replied.

"As you wish sir," Takato replied, bowing in respect.

After he bowed, he turned toward J and grabbed him by his arm and led J out of the Command Center. They walked down the hallway in silence, but Takato broke the silence.

"You're just like your cousin, sick and twisted," he said, without looking at J.

"I aim to please," J answered with sly smirk before it turned to a frown. "N' don't compare me to tha' psycho."

They continued to walk down the hallway in silence until they reached the Canomutation Lab. On the other side of the doors that lead to the lab, Khalil was overseeing the progress of the new canomutator. The chamber itself was rebuilt with the correct materials, but the computer has yet to be made. The doors to the lab opened, and Takato and J entered the room. Khalil turned around and saw J standing next to Takato. He was shocked when he saw his cousin.

"Okay Shiwatori," Khalil said, walking toward the two shiba inus. "Wha' the freak is he doin' here?" He gestured toward J.

"Look here Cap'n Demented," J said, poking his finger at Khalil's chest. "You know darn well tha' I'm the only one tha' can get this thing to work properly." He gestured toward the canomutator. "Y'all got the updated plans to the compute', n' I got the know how to build n' program said compute'."

"Fine, but it bette' work," Khalil warned his cousin.

"I take pride in my work, n' I don't short change anyone. Where are the plans to the updated compute'?"

Khalil handed J the folder with the plans. J looked inside and saw the plans. He closed it up and headed toward one of the workstations. He cleared off some space and started to work on the motherboard for the computer. Takato walked over to Khalil.

"Do you trust him?" he asked Khalil.

"I trust him like I trust Bush runnin' America," Khalil replied, staring at his cousin who was working.

Back at the Tower, Ice Blaze, Briggs, Chris, and Dylan were returning back to the Tower. They entered through the glass door and walked down the hallway. Ice Blaze pushed the up button, and the elevator doors opened. They entered the elevator. Chris pushed the apartment button. The doors closed, and the elevator made its ascent to the top of the building. Once at the top of the Tower, the elevator doors opened, and everyone stepped out of the elevator and into the living room.

"Hey J!" Ice Blaze called out.

There was no response. Ice Blaze went down the hallway toward J's room. He noticed the door opened. He stepped into the room, but J wasn't in his room. He walked back into the living room.

"He's not in his room," Ice Blaze said. "He's been cooped up in there for a few days, but now, he's gone."

Briggs sniffed the air. "She's been here."

"You mean Ayame?" Chris asked.

"Yes," Briggs replied with a nod.

"Parvo must've ordered her to take him," Dylan said, placing a hand on his chin.

"But why?" Chris asked. "What would Parvo want with J?"

"He's good wit' computers," Ice Blaze said. "I bet Parvo needs J to make the updated compute' n' program it."

"I see," Briggs said, nodding his head.

"We have to get him out of there," Chris said.

"But we need to plan it out first," Briggs said.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and headed toward the couch to discuss a plan.

8


	8. Freedom

Chapter 8: Freedom

A few days have passed, and at Parvo's Canomutation Lab, J was inputting in the final lines of the program on his laptop. Once he finished with the program for the canomutator, he burned it onto a disc. After a few minutes, the disc was ejected from the laptop. J took the disc out of the disc tray and placed it into the canomutator's computer disc drive. The disc went into the slot. The light around the power button flashed for a few seconds as the drive read the disc. On the touch screen, an installation screen appeared. J pushed the install icon that was on the screen. He sat back in his chair as the computer was installing the program. Khalil walked over to J.

"How much longe'?"

"It'll be a few minutes," J replied, closing his eyes and placing his arms behind his head. "I'm installin' the program now." He cracked his left eye open. "Once it's through, it'll be ready."

The words 'Installation Completed' appeared on the screen. J pushed the eject button that was located next to the drive slot. The disc ejected out of the slot, and J removed it from the slot. J placed the disc in a case.

"There," J said, closing the case. "It's done."

"Good," Khalil said, turning to his test subject. "We're ready for you…"

"There's been a change of plans," Parvo said as he and Groomer walked into the Canomutation Lab. "I want the Rover to be the first one to try it."

"I like tha' idea bette'," Khalil said with nod, turning his attention to J. "Would you kindly step into the canomutator?"

"Hey Atlas, wha' part of 'I'm not a genetically born slave' do you not comprehend? Besides, you already used it in the first episode," J shot back as he reluctantly made his way to the canomutator.

Khalil moved over to the console and touched the open icon on the terminal's touch screen. The canomutator's doors opened. J let out a sigh and stepped into the chamber. Khalil then closed the chamber. Once the doors closed, Khalil touched the start icon.

"Scanning now," a computer voice announced.

Inside the chamber, a red laser passed over J's body, scanning him.

"Scanning complete…initiating transformation."

The canomutator started to hum as it began to power up and start the transformation process. Inside the chamber, smoke filled up the chamber. As the process was starting, an alarm blared throughout the room. Suddenly, the terminal that Khalil was standing at exploded. Pieces of the terminal flew throughout the room, and everyone in the Canomutation Lab scrambled as a blazing inferno erupted from the busted terminal.

Inside the chamber, J kicked the door to the chamber, and the door collapsed to the floor. J ran out of the chamber and into the heat and smoke filled room. He stayed down low to avoid the dark cloud of smoke that was looming overhead. He quickly grabbed his laptop that he placed on a workstation before he entered the canomutator. He spotted the Dalmatian canomutant. He made his way over to the canomutant and snatched the Canoblaster from him. J took aim at a wall and fired. The blast formed a large hole in the wall. The smoke started to escape through the gaping hole. He quickly made his away to the hole.

"All of the hostages follow me!" he ordered as he went through the hole.

All of the hostages did as they were told and headed toward the hole. Once the hostages were through, J popped his head back out.

"I told you tha' you would get more bang as a result," J said before heading back into the hallway.

"After…them…you fools," Parvo coughed as he started to inhale some of the smoke from the wreckage.

Takato and Khalil went through the hole that J made with the blaster and entered the hallway. Khalil spotted the escapees.

"They're goin' tha' way," Khalil said, pointing in the direction before rushing down the hallway, with Takato right behind him.

J and the hostages ran down the hallway. They ran down another hallway, and J noticed the storage area of the base. They entered the storage room. J instructed them to wait there so that he could find his phone, which was confiscated from him earlier. Once he got his phone, he started to dial a number.

At the RRMC Briefing Room, Master received a phone call.

"Hello?" Master answered the phone.

"Master, it's me, J," J said from the other line. "I got the hostages n' need some backup."

Master quickly typed something on his podium console before saying, "Don't worry, I got your coordinates. Help is on its way."

"Thanks," J said before hanging up.

At the Tower, Briggs, Chris, Dylan, and Ice Blaze were sitting in the living room, with a piece of paper displaying the rescue plan. While they were still going over the final touches to the plan, Ice Blaze's phone went off. He stuck his right hand into his right pants pocket and pulled out his phone. He flipped it and spoke into it.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Blaze," Master said from the other line. "J just called me and is requesting backup."

"Where is he?"

"He's in Japan, and he's not that far from where you are," Master said. "I'll give you the coordinates from where he called."

"N' I bet those coordinates will lead us to Parvo's base."

"I believe so."

Ice Blaze wrote down the coordinates and hung up the phone.

"C'mon, let's go," Ice Blaze said as he made his way to the elevator. "We've got a Rover to rescue. Master just gave me the coordinates to J's whereabouts."

Everyone nodded their heads and went to the elevator. Once on the first floor, they headed to the garage and got into Ice Blaze's car, which was a gold 1970s Cadillac DeVille convertible. He started the vehicle and shifted into reverse. The car shot out of the garage. The tires squealed as the car performed a 180. Dylan, Briggs, and Chris held on to the sides tightly when the tiger pulled the stunt. Ice Blaze shifted into drive and sped down the driveway and onto the road, heading toward the airport to retrieve the Sky Rover.

Back at Parvo's base, J and the hostages were running down a hallway, trying to find an exit. At the other of the hallway were Ayame and some other ninja canomutants. J and the hostages were still running but came to halt when they approached the group of ninjas. J and Ayame stared at each other for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry Ayame," J said as he aimed the Canoblaster at the ceiling.

He fired, and pieces of the ceiling came crashing down, creating a blockade between the two groups. He then pointed the blaster at the left wall and fired. The blast created big hole that leads into the vehicle bay, which was a rather large room that had numerous vehicle ranging from semis to helicopters. The escapees entered the vehicle bay through the hole.

Some of the soldier spotted the group of escapees and started to fire at them. Everyone ducked and covered their heads as they hurried across the vast open area. J led them to a semi. While avoiding getting shot, J unlocked the trailer doors and opened them up.

"Hurry n' get in everyone," he said.

"You do know how to drive one of these things right?" a scientist asked as she got into the trailer.  
"Do videogames count?" he asked as he helped her into the trailer.

"No," she replied.

"I'm a fast learne'," J defended as he helped more hostages on board the trailer.

"That's comforting," she replied.

"Well thank you for the moral support," J said as he helped the final hostage into the trailer.

He closed and locked the door. He quickly ducked back down and high-tailed it toward the cab. Luckily for him, the driver side door was unlocked, and he quickly dove into vehicle. However, he wasn't as fortunate on the inside because there were no keys in the ignition. He quickly opened the panel underneath the steering wheel. He pulled out his knife that he hidden within his right shoe and brought the blade out. He started to hotwire the vehicle. After a bit of rewiring, the vehicle roared to life. J quickly got into the driver's seat and fastened his seat belt. He scanned the instruments in front of him.

"Please don't fail me videogames," J said as he shifted down.

The semi jerked a little as it moved forward but came to sudden stop. Inside the trailer, some of the hostages that were standing fell to the ground. The ones that fell started to yell. In the cab, J's ears twitched as he heard the shouts of the hostages over the low rumble of the semi's engine. He made a nervous look and looked back slowly before focusing back at the task at hand. He tried again and got it to run much more smoothly. He aimed the vehicle at a wall and started to drive right through it, forming a big hole.

Parvo's men noticed the semi creating a makeshift exit. They quickly holstered their weapons and ran to various jeeps. Each of the jeeps would hold four soldiers, while a fifth soldier stood in the back, manning a vehicle mounted machine gun. Once the vehicles were filled, the soldiers gave pursuit of the rogue vehicle through the makeshift exit.

Inside the Sky Rover, Ice Blaze was in the pilot seat, while Briggs was in the copilot seat. Chris looked out of the window. He looked at the ground below and watched the heavily forested ground below. In the middle of the forest was a dirt road. Chris thought he saw something on the ground below. He leaned closer to the window and squinted. He noticed a semi being pursued by some vehicles.

"Hey guys, I see something down below," Chris said, pointing to the semi down below.

Inside the cab, J was trying his best to keep the semi on the dirt road, while avoiding the shots by the vehicle mounted weapons. He looked up and saw the Sky Rover. A smile formed on his face, and he pulled his phone out. He dialed the number to Ice Blaze's phone.

In the cockpit of the Sky Rover, Ice Blaze's phone went off.

"Briggs, take over for me," Ice Blaze said as he took his hands off the controls so that he could answer his phone. "Hello?"

"Blaze, it's me," J said from the other line.

"J, where are you?"

"Look down."

Ice Blaze looked out of the window and saw the semi that Chris mentioned earlier.

"Are you drivin' a semi?"

"Yeah, n' I got the hostages in the traile'. Can you help a brothe' out?"

"We're on it. Hang tight," Ice Blaze said as he hung up. He looked at the others. "J is drivin' the semi, n' we need to help him n' the hostages out."

The Sky Rover headed down to a lower altitude to aid J and the hostages. Inside the Sky Rover, Dylan and Chris manned the laser cannons. They set their sights on the jeeps and fired. Lasers shot out from the aircraft and struck three of the vehicles. The soldiers in the struck vehicles jumped out of the vehicles. Some of the machine gunners turned their attention to the Sky Rover and started firing shots at it, but the bullets were doing no damage to the aircraft. Dylan and Chris finished off the jeeps, while Briggs followed the semi.

Back in the semi, J was trying his best to keep control of the semi. The vehicle kept swerving from left to right on the road. Inside the trailer, the hostages were getting tossed from one side of the trailer to the other from all the swerving that the big vehicle was doing. J spotted a clearing and turned the wheel in the direction of the clearing. The semi headed toward the clearing.

"Great," J said to himself as he looked at the instruments. "How do you slow one of these things?" He looked up and spotted some trees. "Well, I guess tha's the best option of anything."

In the Sky Rover, Ice Blaze watched as the semi was careening toward the trees.

"Wha' is tha' crazy brothe' of mine doin'?" Ice Blaze asked as he continued to watch the scene unfold.

Everyone watched as the semi was heading toward the trees. Down below, the semi struck the trees at the edge of the clearing. Some of the trees came crashing down as the large vehicle ran head on into them. The large vehicle came to a crashing halt after it ran into the trees. The sudden stop caused most of the hostages to fly toward the other end of the trailer, forming a huge pile. J opened the door to the cab and got out of it.

"Okay, tha's the last time I drivin' a big rig," J said, stumbling over to the back of the trailer.

The Sky Rover landed in the clearing. The exit ramp lowered, and Chris, Dylan, Briggs, and Ice Blaze stepped out of the aircraft and headed over to J who was holding onto the side of the trailer for support.

"Where are the hostages?" Briggs asked.

"Inside the traile'," J answered, pointing to the trailer.

Briggs and Ice Blaze opened the doors to the trailer. Dylan and Chris jumped into the trailer to help the hostages who were still in a pile at the other end of the trailer. Inside the trailer, Dylan and Chris helped the hostages out of the pile and led them to the opening, where Ice Blaze and Briggs were helping them down. While this was going on, J sat cross-legged on the ground as he tried to get his nerve back. Once all the hostages were unloaded from the trailer, they were transferred over to the Sky Rover. The Rovers made their way into the aircraft. The exit ramp closed. Inside the Sky Rover, Dylan and Chris were tending to some of the minor injuries the hostages received from their bumpy ride. Ice Blaze and Briggs were back in their respective positions, and J sat behind Ice Blaze.

"We got some unfinished business to take care of," J said.

"You're right," Briggs said, nodding his head. "We have to takedown Parvo."

"Where's his base?" Ice Blaze asked.

"Jus' follow the dirt road, n' you'll find Parvo's base," J answered.

Ice Blaze nodded his head and started the Sky Rover's engines. The aircraft started to hover before gaining altitude. Once it was at its desired height, Ice Blaze turned the aircraft around and followed the dirt road back to Parvo's base.

"You shouldn't have trusted him Parvo," Khalil said. "N' now we don't have a freakin' canomutator."

"It's a minor setback, but we can manage," Parvo said, before the entire Command Center started to shake. "What in the world?"

Just then, parts of the Command Center's ceiling started to collapse. Parvo's staff started to panic and run in terror as debris started fall. Groomer came running into the room followed by Ayame and Takato.

"General," Groomer said as she ran to Parvo. "The Rover's are attacking the base."

"What should we do?" Takato asked.

"For once, I'm glad that I'm wearing brown pants," Parvo muttered as he pushed a button on the console. A hidden passageway was revealed. "We have to leave and plan for tomorrow night." He ran toward the passageway followed closely by Groomer.

"Do we look like lab mice to you?" Khalil asked sarcastically as he followed Parvo and Groomer into the passageway.

"Come on Ayame, we have to go," Takato said, running toward the passage.

"Right," Ayame said as she followed her brother out of the Command Center.

The Command Center started shake more violently as equipment started to fall apart. Sparks flew, and explosions erupted. Outside the base, smoke started coming out of different sections of the base. Out of the smoke, a silver bulldog-shaped ship flew away from the wreckage. After the ship left, the entire base erupted into a huge fireball.

10


	9. I Still Love You

Chapter 9: I Still Love You

A few hours later at Road Rover Mission Control Briefing Room, the group was being debriefed by Master.

"Well Rovers," Master said from behind the podium. "Parvo's plans for his new canomutator have been stopped, and the hostages have been returned to Kennedy Space Center. Thanks to you. You did great job."

"J, I got a question for you," Ice Blaze said, looking at J. "Chris n' Dylan said tha' the ninjas took the updated plans from the Compute' Research n' Development Facility. Howeve', while I was lookin' for you back at home, I noticed the updated plans for the compute' in your room. Wha' plans did Parvo take?"

"Let's jus' say I gave the compute' more bang for its buck," J said, smirking.

"You sly dog you," Ice Blaze laughed, lightly punching his brother's arm.

"Care to fill us in?" Dylan asked with a confused look on his face.

"Parvo's ninjas actually stole a fake plan of the updated compute'," J explained. "I made some changes to the heat sink. It would still cool the compute' down, but I rigged it to explode. For it to detonate, I've added a hidden command."

"A hidden command?" Master asked.

"In some of the lines, I add a part of the hidden command into each command line of the program. In one of the command lines, I put a command to execute the program."

"Let me guess, when the canomutator started, the computer exploded," Briggs said.

"Exactly."

Everyone laughed for a few minutes. While everyone else was still laughing, J stopped laughing and let out a sigh. Master noticed J's sad expression.

"Is something the matter J?" Master asked, looking at J.

J let out a sigh and told Master everything about him and Ayame. Ice Blaze walked up to J and placed a hand on his shoulder. He reassured J that there will be more opportunities in the future, and everyone else agreed with the white tiger. J cheered up a bit and nodded his head in agreement.

"May I be excused?" J asked.

Master nodded his head, and J left the Briefing Room to head to his room. He arrived at his room. He opened the door and walked into the room. He closed the door behind him and headed over to his bed. He plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He pulled out the ring he gave Ayame from his pocket and stared at it.

_Long ago and oh so far away  
I fell in love with you...  
Before the second show  
And your guitar  
And you sound so sweet and clear  
But you're not really here  
It's just the radio_

He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the picture of him and Ayame smiling. He stared at it for a long time.  
_  
Don't you remember you told  
Me you loved me baby?  
You said you'd be coming  
Back this way again  
Baby, baby, baby, baby, ohh baby...  
I love you...  
I really do_

Ayame sat in the back of Parvo's ship alone. She took out the duplicate picture of them on their first date from her uniform. She looked at the picture.__

Loneliness is such a sad  
Affair sad affair  
And I can't hardly wait  
Baby no I can't  
To be with you again

She and J were reflecting on their past experiences with each other.__

And what to say to say to  
Make you come again…mm  
Ohh honey  
Come on back to me again....  
I wanna be, I wanna be anywhere you are  
Ooo....

Don't you remember you told  
Me you loved me baby  
You said you would be coming back again  
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby,  
baby, baby, oooh baby

I love you

Oh baby don't you remember  
You told me baby??  
You said you'd be coming  
back this way again  
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oohh baby  
I love you, I really do… (A tear rolled down Ayame's cheek and fell onto the picture.)

3


End file.
